Drawn
by chiisai-kitty
Summary: Sookie introduces Eric to Dahlia, a practiced telepath whose wit and looks have captivated Eric from the moment he met her. But Dahlia has a hidden secret and a dangerous past that is catching up. Can they let each other in? Is it enough to save her life?
1. Proposition

**_Drawn._**

Sookie introduces Eric to Dahlia, a practiced telepath whose wit and looks have captivated Eric from the moment he met her. But Dahlia has a hidden secret and a dangerous past that is catching up. Can they let each other in? Is it enough to save her life?

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_**A/N: Upon conversion of this story into a first person perspective, I discovered that there were some parts of the original text that couldn't be converted into Dahlia's perspective and, in my opinion, were too good to just get rid of completely. It's mostly stuff according to Eric, but told from a third-person omniscient POV. Those moments in later chapters (up to a twist in the plot/character interactions) will be surrounded by lines and labeled 'Omni POV'. I discovered that I like writing for Eric, but most of this story is about Dahlia's internal and external conflicts, so I thought it would be more fitting as a first-person from Dahlia's POV. After the twist I'm not sure if I'll continue adding the Omni POV parts, mostly because around chapter 7 or 8, I started writing with the potential of converting it to first-person.**_

_**The biggest example of use of third-person omniscient storytelling is…the entire first chapter, which serves as an intro of the situations in the story. Most of the exchange occurs between Eric and Sookie, so it made no sense to convert it to Dahlia's first-person yet. So chapter two will be the start of Dahlia's first-person account.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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_**Chapter One: Proposition**_

Eric turned to face the door when he heard the latch click. He heard the distinctive sound of her heels on the granite tile before he saw her. Sookie Stackhouse emerged around the corner wearing a simple blue dress that highlighted her tan skin.

_Well this is a pleasant surprise_, Eric thought to himself as he watched the blonde approach him. As equally pleasant was the fact that Sookie appeared to be alone. He waited, half expecting to see Bill or Pam walk into the room after her. A few moments passed and Eric silently confirmed her aloneness. A little bit thrown off by Sookie's surprise appearance, Eric almost failed to pick up on the determined look on her pretty face. He half-heartedly accepted the fact that she was most likely here on business rather than pleasure and waited for her to speak.

"Hello, Eric," Sookie broke the silence between them. She flashed Eric what seemed to be a disinterested smile.

_Great_, he thought, _not only is she definitely here on business, she looks like she wants nothing to do with me period. Like this visit was only out of necessity._ He frowned inwardly and continued to make eye contact with her.

"I have something I need to discuss with you," she continued. Eric braced himself for whatever news she was going to give him, for he knew his day couldn't get much worse. "I don't really know how to start this," she paused a moment, thinking, "so I guess I'll just show you instead." She walked toward the door and then disappeared around the corner.

Eric was now thoroughly confused. _So much for my 'she's alone' theory._ Even though he had no clue what was about to come back through that door with Sookie, he had a feeling it wasn't going to be anything good.

Boy, was he wrong.

A few moments later, he heard the door latch click again. Sookie reappeared around the corner followed by someone. That someone was undoubtedly female, and a rather good-looking one at that, Eric noted.

From what he could see, she had a similar body type to Sookie's. Different from Sookie, however, was that this girl was a bit bustier. She was currently clothed in a retro polka dot dress, just tight enough to be sexy rather than slutty. Also different than Sookie, this girl was a redhead. Her hair was done in soft curls which were pulled up on one side and fastened with a jewel clip. Eric then followed the line of her legs down to her black heels, which were still clicking toward him.

By the time his silent appraisal of the new woman was complete, the two women hadn't even completed their journey across the room. After a few more seconds, normal time, Sookie and the new girl stopped in front of him. Eric raised a well-groomed blonde eyebrow and waited for Sookie to explain herself.

"Eric, this is Dahlia," Sookie looked at Eric. He looked back at her as if to say, 'Yes…and?' Sookie nodded and continued, "She is another telepath." Eric paused a moment and let her last sentence sink in.

"Are you looking to relinquish your…position here?" Eric surprised himself with the professional tone of his first sentence of the conversation. Apart from the sentence currently under review, he was actually at a loss for words. He used the present silence to wrack his brain for more words. Thoughts even. Sookie then stepped up to fill the void.

"Well, no. It's just that I thought she could be useful for…erm, the business?" said Sookie, in an attempt to keep up with his professional metaphor. Truthfully, she didn't know what to call what she did for Eric. The only thing she could think of was 'telepathic prostituting', but she was sure that a) that wasn't the right choice of words, and b) it would most likely scare Dahlia away. She then took a moment to look at Dahlia, who currently looked like the poster-child for 'cool, calm, and collective'. Which surprised her, because when she first came to Fangtasia with Bill, she was scared shitless.

From the few things that Amelia had told Sookie about Dahlia, she knew that Dahlia had worked as a bartender in New Orleans and that she had a bit of a past with vampires as well. _We actually aren't that different_, Sookie mused. She also knew that she had relocated to Bon Temps after visiting Amelia, her college roommate, where Sookie discovered she was a telepath. She was currently living with Sookie and Amelia at Sookie's house. She really knew nothing else about her, seeing as, unlike Sookie, Dahlia had basically perfected shielding her thoughts from those around her. She thought it would be a good idea to introduce her to Eric. Mostly because she thought it would get his mind off of her, since Bill was now back in her life. However, she sincerely thought that Dahlia's ability would be beneficial to Eric. Ok, so that part was kind of selfish too, considering that with Dahlia around, some of her workload for Eric would be reduced. Sookie was pulled from her own thoughts by Eric's voice.

"Sure. Why not?" He thought he could use a little amusement today. Besides, this girl wasn't all that bad looking, and he'd always had a soft spot for redheads. Sookie was momentarily caught off guard by his acceptance.

"Well…ok, um…Dahlia is living with Amelia and I at my place, so…you can find her there if you need her." Sookie wasn't really sure what else to say, so she left it at that. She watched for Eric's nod before glancing toward Dahlia, who took her cue and started towards the door. _Just because he accepted Dahlia, doesn't mean I'm done with him yet_, Sookie thought while she waited for the sound that signaled Dahlia's departure. With auditory assurance of her exit, Sookie crossed the rest of the room, closing the awkward distance between her and Eric. "Before I go, we need to discuss something," she stated flatly.

"It's Bill, isn't it." Eric studied her features.

_Sometimes I'd swear it's _you_ that can read _my_ mind. _"Yeah. We're kind of…back together."

"Is _that_ why you brought Dahlia here?" He smirked.

"No. Well, maybe…a little bit," she looked away from him. "I really do think that she could help you like I do, but I will admit that I thought she might…distract you?"

"That's a low blow, Sookie. Don't think that just because you prance a pretty girl in front of me, I'll be so easily distracted. Especially from you." He maintained eye contact with her, never flinching. What he said was true, despite the fact that he couldn't deny the attraction he was feeling for Dahlia.

"But you did say she was pretty," Sookie teased. She smiled when Eric broke their eye contact, looking a little bit…embarrassed? Sookie had indeed noticed the way that Eric watched Dahlia, even though he'd never admit it.

"Fine, yes. She is very attractive." Or would he? Sookie smiled bigger and then turned to leave.

"Told you she'd distract you," she said as she rounded the corner and left the room.

_I'm sure she will, _Eric mused.

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**I know that this was kind of a slow start, but I kind of wanted to put this out there to gauge a response. So please review, it will be greatly appreciated. Plus, I have a whole bunch of chapters waiting to go, and I keep writing pretty much everyday.**

**Thanks,**

**Sydney**


	2. First Date

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: I nearly jumped off of my couch when I saw that I had a review, that's how happy I was. I'd like to thank GaijinVamp for being my first reviewer. **

**Anywho, this chapter starts the Dahlia first-person POV. There are two Omni POV parts, which I hope work seamlessly. They sounded ok when I read through it, but that could just be me.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Two: First Date**

I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup when the phone rang. I knew that Sookie was at work and Amelia was with Trey, so I made a sigh of resolve when I put my eyeliner pencil down on the sink counter. Makeup time is the only part of my day where I hate to be interrupted. Sookie has her tanning, Amelia has her spell practice, and I have my makeup. I shuffled toward the nearest phone, quietly cursing whoever was calling. "Hello," I murmured, trying to sound less than pissed off.

"Dahlia? It's Eric…from Fangtasia. Is this a bad time?"

Sounding not pissed was suddenly slightly easier. "Nope. Just getting ready for the day…well night," I replied, casually leaning against the wall by the phone.

"Just getting ready now?" he inquired.

"Um, yeah. I'm use to keeping a later schedule due to my bartending job and…past relationships." _No use beating around the bush about it_, I thought.

"Oh." He didn't push the matter. Probably because he got the idea. "I was just calling to ask if you are busy tonight." Simple, and straight to the point. I had gathered that straightforward was his style after his exchange with Sookie over me at Fangtasia last weekend. I paused momentarily to think over his question.

"I'm not, but Sookie's at work right now," I baited him, wondering what his intentions were with this phone call.

"That is…ok. I was mostly looking to just see you." I swore I could almost feel him smirking through the phone line. _That's what I thought_, I smiled to myself. Maybe I should take Mr. Northman up on his offer, after all, I had always been attracted to vampires.

"Sure. Do you want me to come to you?" she asked.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you by yourself this evening, Dahlia?" He paused and waited for my answer.

My visceral response was to be freaked out that he knew I was alone. The less-rational part of myself, however, was melting already at the way he said my name. "Umm," I stammered, "yeah I am. How did you-"

"There's no noise around you through the phone. You know, background noise," he explained. "So if you are indeed alone, would you object to me coming to you?"

I nearly giggled at the slight innuendo. "That would be fine. Just give me about fifteen minutes to finish getting ready."

"Alright," he replied and then hung up the phone. I hung my end up as well and walked back to my room.

My room is on the second floor with Amelia's. At first I kind of felt like I was invading Amelia's space, seeing as how she'd converted into a mini apartment, but Amelia assured me that I wasn't and that it was like rooming together in college all over again. I confined myself to the one bedroom and adjoining bathroom, while Amelia has the rest of the space and we use the little area in the middle as a sort of common area. I prefer to spend my time in my room, considering that Trey Dawson practically lives with Amelia and when they aren't out at night, they make enough noise to wake the dead. My room is clear on the other side of the floor, and the noise is hardly audible from there. Just how I preferred it.

Once in my room, I made a beeline for the closet. Since we were spending the night in, I figured that I wouldn't go all out. I selected a pair of jeans that were on the tighter side and a short sleeve top that was tighter in the bust and loose everywhere else. After getting dressed, I moved back to the bathroom to finish my makeup. After pulling my hair back into a loose ponytail and checking my pedicure, I walked downstairs in time to hear the doorbell ring.

I opened the door to see Eric standing there wearing loose jeans and a t-shirt. It was surprisingly different from the suit-clad Eric I had first encountered at Fangtasia. I was suddenly really glad I hadn't opted for anything more dressy. "Uh come in," I muttered, as I realized I was staring.

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**Omni POV**

Eric smiled and walked over the threshold. Even though he had already been formally invited into Sookie's house, he was starting to enjoy the idiosyncrasies of human life. Once inside, Dahlia shut the door and Eric was able to take in her full image. He had to admit he truly did enjoy the way she dressed and how she looked. Even with jeans and a simple top, she looked every part the vintage starlet. He loved how she reminded him of a time long ago.

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"So, do you want to watch a movie or something?" I said, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Sure, but it'll have to be something recent, since I have seen pretty much everything." He flashed a smile and I laughed at his reference to his agelessness.

"Ok. I can finally test out the pay-per-view Sookie just had set-up," I smiled at him. "Um, I'm gonna make some popcorn, would you like a TruBlood or something?" I asked, not knowing why I added the 'or something' part.

"Yes, that would be great. Any type you have is fine with me." Eric sauntered into the kitchen. I was already bent over rummaging the in fridge. I could feel Eric's eyes on me before he made a noise like he had just gotten there. At the sound, my head popped up with a bottle of TruBlood and a can of soda. The popcorn finished popping and I traded it out for the bottle of TruBlood, which I had selected to match my blood type, just to mess with Eric. I then poured the popcorn into a bowl and waited for the microwave beep.

I handed him the warm bottle and started for the stairs. "I thought we were going to watch a movie," Eric said suddenly.

"Yeah, there's a TV in my room I figured we could watch," I smiled warmly, "Sookie will be on her way home soon, and Amelia shortly after I'd imagine."

"Alright," he stated simply.

I started up the stairs, "Just don't think this means you're getting in my pants." I turned around and winked at him.

"I would not dream of it," he winked back at me.

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**Omni POV**

Dating: one of those idiosyncrasies he was becoming accustomed to. _Come to think of it, this might be his first real date. _The only thing closely resembling a date was the time he was with Sookie. _But that had been purely physical_, he mused, _best not to think of that right now…or ever again._ He sighed a little, but then averted his attention to watching Dahlia walk up the stairs in front of him.

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**I know that this was a shorty, but I thought the date scene would have less of a feeling like it was dragging on if I split it, so I did :P**

**Thanks, and please review.**

**-Sydney**


	3. First Kiss

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: Part two of the date. I figured I might as well post it too, since I kinda left it hanging with chapter 2.**

**Enjoy!**

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******Chapter Three: First Kiss**

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**Omni POV**

Once on the second floor, Eric sat on the couch near the TV. While Dahlia excused herself to use the bathroom, he made a mental map of her room. The couch he was currently sitting on was at an angle so that it was the hypotenuse of the right triangle with the walls. The flat screen television was occupying the right angle part of the triangle, directly across from the couch.

In the corner opposite the TV, there was a vanity with an array of perfumes and hair accessories. Eric scanned the products and determined more firmly that Dahlia had exquisite taste. There was a door to the left of the vanity, when facing it, that Dahlia had already established as the bathroom. There was also another door to the right of the vanity which Eric imagined was her closet, which had a simple red curtain instead of a door. That curtain matched the quilt and sheets on the bed, which was sitting to the left of the bathroom door and occupied most of the space between the bathroom wall and the couch. _It really is a nice bed, _Eric mused. He also considered that the sheets were the color of fresh blood, a nice shade of deep, deep red. He shook off thoughts of blood and Dahlia coexisting for him for the time being when she emerged from the bathroom.

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"Not sneaking a peek at my panty drawer, hmm?" I grinned at him and sat down. "Find anything good?" I asked and then laughed when Eric grinned sheepishly because he hadn't even started to look yet.

After some amicable silence, head shaking, and nodding, we had decided to watch _Underworld: Rise of the Lycans _after exchanging a look of amusement at the subject of the movie and the coincidence of the shifters coming out so recently.

About halfway through the movie, Eric had slid his arm around my shoulder and I had snuggled into him a little. Upon hearing the door open and close, I perked up. "I'm just gonna go downstairs for a minute and see who's home." I paused the movie and started for the door. "Feel free to do that panty raid while I'm gone," I quipped.

When I made it downstairs, I heard some rummaging in the kitchen. Dahlia thought I might as well get another can of soda and another TruBlood for Eric while I was down here. _How am I going to hid the TruBlood from whoever is down here though_, I pondered. I walked into the kitchen to see a pair of black shorts and tan legs poking out from behind the fridge door. I didn't know why exactly, but I didn't really want to tell Sookie who was upstairs just yet. "Hey Sook," I started. Sookie stood up, smiling at me.

"Hey hun. Been here all night?"

"Yup, just watching a movie in my room."

"Anything good?"

"The new Underworld movie. Nothing special." I opened the fridge door as Sookie started to leave the room, sandwich in hand. I tucked the bottle of TruBlood in my waistband and was suddenly glad that I was wearing a loose top and that there was a microwave upstairs in my and Amelia's common area. I walked towards the stairs, holding the soda.

"Enjoy the rest of your movie, Dahlia," Sookie said as she walked into her own room. She thought something was off about me, but she of course couldn't penetrate my mental shield. I, on the other hand, could read Sookie like a book.

After Sookie's door was closed, I removed the bottle from under my shirt and went upstairs, where I warmed it up in the little microwave. When I opened my bedroom door, Eric was still sitting on the couch. I handed him the bottle of TruBlood and resumed my snuggled position beside him.

After the movie, I disposed of the garbage and set the popcorn bowl on the coffee table in front of the couch. "I can walk you outside?" I looked up at him as we stood in the middle of my room. Then I remembered something. "Shit," I muttered, not-so-quietly.

"What's the matter, Dahlia?"

"Your car…Sookie must have seen it on her way in…" I thought out loud.

"Dahlia," he started, "are you trying to hide me from Sookie?"

"And failing, I might add."

Eric tried not to smile at her. "Well, for your information, I'm parked at Bill Compton's home. We had some business to attend to earlier this evening," he said, feigning annoyance.

"Oh…I…I…"

"Don't have to worry about it," he supplied, smirking, "I won't say a damn word to him about it when I get back."

I looked at him curiously, "You won't?"

"No I won't," he said, looking at me as if he was studying my face. "Contrary to the way you apparently feel, I happen to like you." I pursed my lips at his words.

"It's not that I don't like you, I do. It's just that there's something that doesn't feel right about telling Sookie that I was up here with you tonight," I looked in his eyes, making sure he really wasn't angry with me.

"Ok. I understand." Which he did. He agreed that now wasn't the best time to tell Sookie they had a date, only he knew the reason. _Wait_, I thought to myself, _how did I know that? Never mind, fluke thing I guess._

"Well, let me change into my pajamas and then we'll sneak you out of here," I giggled a little at the thought of sneaking a guy out. I went into the closet and came back out wearing a emerald green nightgown that fell to my knees. It's my favorite nightgown, and it had obviously caught Eric's attention. I slid on a black silk robe and then I was at the door.

"What? No show?" Eric said smugly. I gave him a look, pressed a finger to my lips, and then opened the door. After confirming that Amelia was at Trey's place or something, I waved Eric across, which took a matter of silent seconds. I then started down the stairs, which creaked upon first step. I pulled back quickly and ended up pressed against Eric. "Let me carry you. It'll be faster and quieter," he offered. I nodded and within a matter of a couple of seconds, we were on the front porch.

"Wow," I said as he set me down on my feet.

"You haven't seen anything," he smirked. "That color suits you well, by the way," he said before pulling me into a somewhat chaste kiss. I returned the kiss, and he trailed his now-exposed fangs down my throat before kissing my collarbone, which caused me to shiver.

His hands settled on my hips, the sensation caused by my cool silky robe and Eric's even colder hands pressing into my skin was more than I could take and I had to pull away from him.

"We'll…uh…have to do this again sometime," I said, breathless, "this date thing, I mean." I smiled and he nodded. He planted a soft kiss on my cheek, and then he was gone. I stared out into the darkness for a moment before I caught a chill and moved inside and up to my room.

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**What's a story without some crazy sexual tension. For all you lemon fans, it's coming, I promise. Next chapter: Dahlia talks to Sookie about Eric, and she looks for a job...three guesses where. You have no clue how hard it is not to just post everything I have. My main reason for not doing so is because it's a pain in the tush to convert from 3rd**** to 1****st**** person (I started writing longer chapters after this point). And it's also to build suspense…that too.**

**-Sydney**


	4. Confessions and Cocktails

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: Let me start this off by addressing some questions that GaijinVamp asked me. I would say that the best place to put this story in context would be at the beginning-ish part of **_**Dead and Gone**_**, the ninth book. I'm basing this conclusion on the fact that the shifters have had their reveal (see the pun in chapter 3), Eric and Sookie aren't "married", and Trey is still alive (I like him). Also Eric and Sookie are blood bonded, and Amelia lives with Sookie. The only thing I've sped up is Octavia's departure from the Stackhouse home. Bill and Sookie are back together, due to the reconciliation we all (or at least I) wish would happen already. Thus far in the context of the books, Sookie is trying to find a way to weaken her blood bond with Eric. I've poked around the net for sometime, and have found that there is no Charlaine Harris-approved way to break or weaken a blood bond, so I went with some of my own theories on that one. Hope that cleared it up.**

**Welcome to the longest chapter so far...which is being vastly outdone by chapter 9 right now...**

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**Chapter Four- Confessions and Cocktails**

I sat awake in my room after only four hours of sleep. I smoothed my hair back into a ponytail and pulled the sheets off of me. I then walked to my window and looked out into the woods across from Sookie's house, as if I could see the Compton place. My mind kept going over the kiss I shared with Eric, that four or so hours ago. I kept thinking about how he seemed to be so gentle, which was quite different from the vampires I had been involved with previously.

I then turned from my window and wandered back to the bed, pulling the red sheets over me. It was then that I decided I'd talk to Sookie the next day about whatever it was that was between me and Eric.

I woke up again, only this time on purpose. I checked the clock by the bed. 10:00am, read the neon green numbers. _Good_, I thought, _Sookie will be awake now and she hasn't left for work yet._ I pulled my robe back on and skipped downstairs. Sookie was sitting on the couch, flipping channels. I plopped down on the chair across from her and Sookie looked up.

"Hey, D," said Sookie, still focused on the TV.

"How'd you know it was me?" Sookie tapped a finger to the side of her head to indicate her mind and I nodded.

"I can usually hear Amelia right away." She grinned. I knew what she meant. College with Amelia was like having a 24-hour reality show broadcast in your head. I smiled back before getting to the topic at hand.

"Hey, Sook," I started, "I need to talk to you about last night."

Sookie cut me off, "I already know Eric was here." She smiled at me, and I was utterly confused by the blonde's statement. "We're actually kind of blood-bonded." My mouth formed an 'o' shape. "But I'm one hundred percent back with Bill now," she continued, "I was actually kind of hoping…never mind."

I stared at her for a moment. "You were hoping I'd weaken you guys' bond, huh?"

"God, that sounds like I'm trying to whore you out or something," she mused. "Which I'm totally not," she quickly added.

I smiled. "I know that. Besides, I kinda like the guy actually. I just had a feeling that there is…was…something between you two that I thought I'd clear up first."

Sookie nodded. "That's very respectable. Just be careful, will ya? Eric is…unique," she smiled and I nodded. Sookie glanced at her watch, "Well, I'll be off for my lunch shift at Merlotte's then. See you later." She picked her keys up off the side table and was out the door.

"Well that went better than expected," I thought out loud, picking up the paper. I needed a job. I thumbed through the classifieds for a few before I got an idea, but it would have to wait until later.

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Around 6:30pm, I pulled up in front of Fangtasia. Sookie had told me to go around to the back because that's where I could find Eric this early in the evening. I looked down at my tracksuit, half hoping he'd still find me attractive in it. I didn't feel the need to get "vamped out" unless I got the job, which was what the bag in the passenger seat was for. I walked up to the rather well-lit back "porch" area and knocked on the door. I stood there for a moment before the door opened to show Eric.

"You could have just called me," he teased.

"You never gave me your number for one. And for two, I figured my presence might win you over faster."

"Win me over about what, may I ask?"

"Interested in hiring a new bartender by any chance?"

"Ok, I'll bite," he smirked, "when can you start?"

"Tonight works."

"Um, you're a tad underdressed, Dahlia," he noted, motioning to my tracksuit, "even though you do look cute."

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "That's why I have a change of clothes in the car."

"And you were so sure I'd hire you?"

I started for my car. "I had a feeling," I called back. He shook his head and waited for me to return.

I came back a couple minutes later, my small bag in tow. Eric held the door open for me and then guided me in the direction of his office. "There's a bathroom through there." He gestured behind him. "I'll be out here when you're done so I can personally get you acclimated."

"Little ol' me? Now don't I feel special?" I stuck my tongue out at him and went into the bathroom.

After changing, I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. It had seriously been forever since I'd worn anything like this. I ran my hand along the fabric of my dress, red silk topped with a matching corset with black roses embroidered on it. My hair was done up in a traditional-looking pin-up style with black jeweled pins in it. I also wore my eyeliner in a more cat-eye look with a hint of red shadow on the lids. I checked my reflection a last time. That was when I decided that I barely recognized myself like that anymore. _But hey, what ever encourages the dangerous atmosphere in this place._

I stepped out of the bathroom to see that Eric had his back turned. I moved behind him and started to put a hand on his shoulder. A hand that he caught as he turned around to face me. "Trying to be sneaky are w-," he stopped and stared at me for a second. "Most people usually just wear black around here," he stated, half to himself.

"I'll keep that in mind next time," I murmured, moving away from him.

Eric tightened his grip on my hand a little bit. "Keep with the color. It's rather becoming. It sets you apart," he said in earnest. He held me for a moment longer before speaking again, "Well, let's get you situated then."

Half an hour later, I knew where all the liquor was and had gotten the hang of some of Fangtasia's specialty drinks. Eric couldn't hide the fact that he was impressed by my skill.

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**Omni POV**

The evening was surprisingly uneventful, just the usual crowd, complete with groveling fangbangers. Except tonight, Eric was pleasantly distracted by the pretty young thing that was bartending. She certainly did stand out in her red dress. As a matter of fact, the red was the same color that her sheets had been. _Must everything you do remind me of blood, Dahlia? _He shook off those thoughts and returned to scanning the club.

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I was counting my tips when Eric walked over to the bar. "I liked your…uh…fan club," I commented as he approached.

Eric ran a hand through his hair. "They…um…visit frequently."

"Oh."

"I honestly do not even notice them," he admitted, "besides, there is this girl who I met recently."

"God, anyone I should worry about?" I teased.

"Well, she is incredibly gorgeous. And she looks great in red." He looked at me before walking toward his office. I followed.

"Sounds like she's really something," I said as I plopped down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Within a second, Eric was above me, his hands on the arms of the chair.

"Oh, she is," he purred before kissing me. I kissed him back, gently sucking on his bottom lip. We were then interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing. Pam was standing in the doorway, a hand on her hip.

"Just wanted to let you know that everything is closed down up front," she stated simply and left. Eric and I looked at each other before laughing. I leaned up and kissed him again before speaking.

"I've gotta get home, hun," I said, half-heartedly.

He studied my face for a moment. "Let me take you home."

"I have my car, Eric." I looked back at him and resigned, cursing my will power, "Ok, let's go." I grabbed my purse and we left Fangtasia.

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**I have to say, I love Pam. I also love the way that Kristin Bauer portrays her in the TV show, pretty much exactly as I imagined her. There was only one Omni POV moment in here, I'm pretty sure I'm phasing them out for now. I think.**

**I'm not going to do a chapter preview, because I'm trying to decide if I want to expand chapter 5 or combine 5 and 6.**

**-Sydney**


	5. Head Games

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: In celebration of my happiness at finally getting my fall quarter schedule for college, I decided to post chapter five for your reading entertainment. According to my stats page thingy, people are apparently reading this, so I shall keep posting. I do however, encourage those people to review or PM me, because I'd really love to hear what people think. Thanks.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Five- Head Games**

The ride home from Fangtasia had been pleasant enough. I had spent the first half of the trip kicking myself for letting drive Eric drive me home. Bringing him home certainly wasn't a step in the right direction if I was trying to control myself with him. After coming to terms with my weakness around him, I spent the second half of the trip using my hands-free state to mess with Eric during the drive.

I was currently standing on Sookie's porch, watching Eric walk back to his car. He had given me a quick kiss before leaving me on the porch, but now I was feeling kind of bad about riling him up a bit on the ride home. As he was shutting the door, I waived to get his attention. Once I had it, I motioned him back. He was in front of me in what felt like a nanosecond.

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**Omni POV**

"Yes?" he asked, mildly confused by her actions. They had kissed at Fangtasia, she was feeling him up on the way back to Sookie's, and then she had left it at a simple kiss. Now she was motioning him back over.

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"I feel bad about messing with your head," I stated.

"Are you sure you can't read my mind?" he mused.

"Pretty positive. I can just tell." I looked up at him. Even with my massive high heels, he still stood a significant few inches above me. "Would you like to come in?" Eric raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

"But what about Sookie?" he asked.

"I told her, but she already knew." Eric cocked his head to the side.

"She told you about the blood bond?" I nodded. However, I decided to keep the 'I want you to help weaken it' part to myself. "I just wanted to let you know, Dahlia, that my feelings for Sookie are in the past," he said, almost answering the question I wouldn't even voice in my head.

"Are you sure that _you _can't read _my _mind?" I teased, opening the door to the house. We were silent as we crossed to the stairs, as everyone was home tonight and we didn't want to disturb anyone. When we reached the top of the stairs, we could here _the_ noises from Amelia's room. I gave Eric a look as we hurried to my room.

Once inside, Eric spoke. "Is it always this loud up here?"

"Only when Trey is over, which is often. Thank god you can barely hear it when the door is closed." I flipped on the TV to muffle the remainder of the noise.

"So what was that you were saying about feeling guilty?" Eric teased, closing the distance between us.

"I said I felt bad, not guilty. They are two different things entirely. I invited you in didn't I?" I smiled at him and walked toward my closet, discarding the corset into a hamper near it. I also kicked off my heels and took my hair down and shook it out. "Besides, I'm a little tired." I feigned an exaggerated yawn and deposited myself on the couch, where he joined me.

"In my experience, there is an…expectancy that goes along with inviting a man in," he insinuated, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh is there now?" I moved closer to him. "Does it go something like this?" I said as I let my breath tickle his neck. I heard Eric's breath catch and felt his hand move to my waist. I heard him grunt before our lips made contact, hard. His hands smoothed down my sides as I leaned back into the couch. His lips skimmed my neck as he began to push my dress up.

"Eric…" I started.

"Hmm?" he asked as he nuzzled my neck.

"We've only known each other for a couple of days and I don't want to rush into anything just yet." I looked at him, waiting for him to be disappointed with me.

"That is…ok, Dahlia. I respect you." Now _that_ I hadn't expected. "I should probably get back to Shreveport before sunrise." He stood up; I sat up.

"No. I mean…please stay." I grabbed his hand. "I don't want you to leave me."

He picked me up and carried me to the bed. "I'll stay for awhile, but I have to leave you before sunrise," he said seriously.

"Wait a second," I said before moving to the closet to get something. Coming out I said, "I just remembered I had these." I pulled out a large box and a smaller one. Out of the larger box I pulled two black shutter pieces. "Just like they use at the vampire hotels." The smaller box was filled with tools.

In a couple of minutes I had bolted the blacked out frame to the window, and in a couple more minutes I had put the retractable shutter part on.

"May I inquire as to why you have those?" asked Eric.

_Well you were going to find out sooner or later_, I thought. "I used to be pretty serious with a vampire. So serious that I altered my sleeping habits and turned my apartment into the spitting image of a vamp hotel suite."

Eric stood and wrapped his arms around me. "And that's why you're skeptical of getting involved with me?" I nodded and he kissed my cheek. "I like you, Dahlia. It appears that this other vampire hurt you and that you loved him. If going slow is what it takes for you to want to be with me, so be it." He kissed me again. "And I like the shutter, it's a thoughtful gesture." He smiled.

"It's nothing. I just like waking up next to my man."

"But I _am_ your man though?"

"If you want to be."

He quickly pulled me onto the bed. "Oh believe me, I do." He kissed me lightly, but I could feel the passion that simmered behind it. I exhaled lightly, hoping Eric wouldn't perceive it as a sigh, and then pulled the sheets over us. I really don't know if he did or not; I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

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**Ok, so I decided to leave the chapters separate, even though this is a shorty. I almost made this chapter into the first lemon, but it didn't seem right to me. Plus, I like to think of Dahlia as a classy gal. That and she's obviously been hurt before. So, despite how irresistible Eric is, the lemon shall wait until later. I would also like to note that the original title of this chapter was "Guilty Pleasure". I changed it because after I typed in the title, I couldn't get the Cobra Starship song of the same name out of my head for the life of me. It was also accompanied by the silly little dance they do in the video for the song. If you haven't seen it, YouTube it, because that's the only way to experience what was running through my head when I edited this chapter the preliminary time. The fact that the song was stuck in my head seemed like a mood killer, and I figured it might be for some other people too. Which is why I waited until after this chapter to tell that story. Well, thanks for reading my rant, if you did.**

**Next Chapter: Girl talk and some more Dahlia/Eric time.**

**-Sydney **


	6. Revelations

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: The Omni POV part of this chapter is going to be an addendum, due to some constructive criticism I received. Which I'm totally grateful for, because with out it I never would have noticed the huge, gaping hole I left in my beloved Eric's established characterization. Due to the fact that Eric pursued Sookie for like, the entire series, and pulled out a bunch of tricks to pull her towards him, it was pointed out that it seems awkward that Eric would jump ship so quickly for Dahlia. So here I am, presenting you all with an omniscient little ditty to try to explain some of that, as according to me. I figured I might as well pen what was going through my head on the subject, instead of leaving the hole and expecting you guys to fill it in.**

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**Chapter Six- Revelations **

I clicked on the little light by my bed as I woke up to find a half-naked vampire in my bed with his arm slumped over my waist. Apparently, Eric had awoken sometime while I was sleeping and took off the t-shirt he was wearing when we left Fangtasia. I studied his bare chest for a moment, seeing as the sheet was down at his waist. I was content with only looking at him until something in my head convinced me to touch.

I started by tracing the lines of his pectoral muscles. I purposely avoided his nipples, not wanting him to wake up. I took a quick glance at the clock, it read 4:30pm. _Not quite sundown yet,_ I thought. My eyes ran down to his abs and I bit my lip. I wanted to explore his chest further, but I didn't want to chance him waking up. I planted a kiss on his cheek before heading downstairs to forage for lunch.

I pulled on some comfy clothes, pulling my hair into a messy bun on my way down the stairs. I was greeted by Amelia in the kitchen.

"Late night, D?" Amelia gave me a look.

"Yes, but not as good as yours from the sound of it," I chided, returning the look.

"Touché. Want a sandwich?"

"Sure," I said as I moved to the fridge to get a drink. Amelia handed me the sandwich. "Sookie around?"

Amelia shook her head. "At work. She should be home around five though," she replied as she exited the kitchen.

"Hey, would you mind being kind of quiet if you're heading upstairs? Eric's sleeping," I called out to Amelia as I left the kitchen myself.

Amelia stopped where she was and spun around. "Eric? Tall, blonde, sex-on-a-stick, vampire Eric? That Eric?"

I suppressed a giggle and nodded.

"And Sookie knows about this? And you know about Sookie? And the blood bond? And the-"

"If you ask anymore questions, your head might explode, Amelia." I stared at my friend while she tried to wrap her head around the concept that we were discussing.

"One more then. Did you guys, you know?" she asked as she waggled an eyebrow at me.

I laughed and shook my head. "With my last relationship ending like it did, I don't think I'm ready to rush into anything with another vampire. With another man, for that matter." Amelia nodded in understanding.

"But D, when you do, I want all the details. Sookie won't tell me anything."

At that moment, the front door opened and shut. "Details about what? And what won't I tell you?" Sookie placed her keys down in the dish and pushed her sunglasses on her head.

"Details about Dahlia's hot hot romance with Mr. Northman," Amelia grinned and I blushed, "the man who's currently warming her bed."

"Oh really?" asked Sookie.

"Nothing happened."

"That's not what your bed hair, covertly tied in a bun, says," Sookie teased.

I laughed. "Still, nothing happened, he just spent the night."

"Speaking of the night, where were you on this last one?" Amelia asked.

"I got a job…at Fangtasia. Bartending."

"Oh I see. Using your pull with Eric to your advantage, huh?" Sookie smiled.

"Yup," I giggled, "Eric drove me home last night, well, this morning…you know what I mean."

"That explains why I didn't see your car," said Sookie.

"So…slow day at Merlotte's?" asked Amelia. Sookie nodded.

"No one hardly comes in on the lunch shift on Wednesdays."

We women sat down in the living room. "Wait, did you say that Eric was warming Dahlia's _bed_?" Amelia nodded. "How?" Sookie asked.

"I have special shutters. You know, like the ones in the vamp hotels?" Sookie nodded, she was indeed familiar with those shutters. "I bought them when I was with my last boyfriend," I said nonchalantly, "I have a couple extras if you'd like them for your room."

"Sure, sounds great. You can show me how to install them tonight." I smiled in agreement and then looked at both women.

"Hey Amelia, are you and Trey busy tonight?" Amelia shook her head. "Because I was thinking that since Sookie is off tomorrow, we could all go out tonight. Like a triple date."

"Sounds good to me. I'll call Bill when the sun goes down."

"Trey's at work until 5, but I'll send him a text to come here." I smiled at the two women.

"Well I'm going to go run some errands. Hopefully they won't take too long," I said. "Can I borrow one of your cars? Mine's at Fangtasia." Sookie nodded and tossed me her keys and I was out the door.

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**Omni POV**

Eric's eyes opened into the total darkness that was Dahlia's room. He squinted when he saw the little lamp illuminating where Dahlia was. A place that was now empty, he noted. He rolled out of the bed, quite gracefully, and sauntered toward the window. He ran a hand over the sun proof shutter before opening it. He started to wonder more in depth as to why she had the shutter. He went along with it the night before to appease Dahlia. He was going along with a lot of things in order to appease Dahlia. Like giving her a job, for example. He already had a fully competent staff of bartenders; he gave Dahlia what she wanted in an effort to get what he wanted. He looked out the window and down, noticing that Sookie's car wasn't in the driveway. _Damn_, he thought to himself. He turned from the window and walked to the bedroom door.

Once in the main part of the upstairs, his acute hearing picked up on the sound of Amelia's TV running. He walked downstairs to see Sookie on the couch, much to his surprise. "I thought you were out," he stated flatly.

"Are you trying to avoid me?" she asked, eyes starting to narrow.

"You are the one who arranged your little impromptu visit to throw the girl at me. It's obvious that you don't want me around you," he deadpanned. "So I'm just trying to give you what you want."

"Well it doesn't seem like too much pain on your part. I mean shit, Eric, giving her a job, spending the night here?" Sookie spat, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not getting anything out of it, if that's what you're speculating. She'll barely let me touch her."

"She's not like that," said Sookie, defending her new friend.

"You're the one who wanted her to distract me, to amuse me. I've seen the clothes. She told me about the other vampires, she has fucking _sun_ _proof shutters_. If that doesn't say she's a serial fangbanger, than I don't know what does." That was when Sookie's hand connected with the side of his face; he could feel the rage through their bond.

"She was in _relationships_ with those vampires, you ass. I have the secret compartment in my closet, do you think that about me too?" she asked.

"You are different. _You_ are special. Special to me," he looked Sookie in the eyes, "and no, I don't think that about you. I know you better. It's her I don't know."

"Then maybe you should get to know her before you start passing these ridiculous judgments." She looked at Eric; he said nothing. "You haven't changed. You won't change. I thought you might; you made all those promises to me, promises I knew deep down you didn't mean. From the day I met you, Eric Northman, you've done nothing but try to manipulate me into being with you." She paused. Eric was still silent. "You manipulated me into this stupid blood bond and you've tried your damnedest to keep me from Bill. So don't start acting now like you're the righteous one here. The difference between you and Bill is that Bill apologized for what he did to me, and proved that he truly does care," she finished. Eric seized Sookie by the arms.

"I _do _care about you. And you care about me."

Sookie slipped out of his grasp. "Everything I felt was a result of the bond you were so desperate to form. Whatever part of anything that may have been yours is back with Bill. Accept it."

"I won't," he stated.

"Well you'll have to. I love Bill, he loves me. And Dahlia does like you, she told me. Get over yourself long enough to realize she's not just some fangbanger. We're actually more alike than you'd be willing to admit." Eric just stared at her while she spoke. "She's home now, so we're just going to go back to how it was before this conversation, for Dahlia's sake, and all go out tonight because she wants us all to. Dahlia has been hurt bad, so she doesn't need to know that you're just being a huge asshole." Sookie placed her hand on Eric's shoulder, nudging him the direction of the stairs. He complied and left, leaving Sookie sitting on the couch.

On his walk back to Dahlia's room, Sookie's words were still swimming in his head. As Sookie had so tactfully pointed out, she and Dahlia were a lot alike. As much as he cared about Sookie, he had to admit that there was an intriguing nature about the redhead. Maybe he could get over himself, he thought as he climbed back into her bed. But that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun while attempting to do it.

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**So there that is. The demise of Sookie/Eric according to me. Mr. Northman is kinda being an ass, isn't he. And of course, he's back to his wily ways. Also, as a disclaimer, I have nothing against the Sookie/Eric dynamic of the books, even though I am rooting for a Sookie/Bill reunion. This adaptation of Sookie's feelings for Eric and Bill are written as relevant to the plot of this story. Hope that filled the hole a bit. Let me know if there're anymore questions or comments, I'd appreciate it.**

**Sydney**


	7. Changes

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: In honor of the season premiere of Project Runway (which I still don't have a favorite designer yet), I've decided to post chapter seven, which I've dubbed the epic chapter. For this chapter, I took the chapter I had already written and adjusted some things (times, details, etc.) to reflect the changes in the last chapter. I also added a huge chunk of omniscient perspective because I thought it fit. **

**Enjoy, and auf wiedersehen until next time!**

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**Chapter Seven- Changes**

Around 8:00pm, I was back in my room, sitting on the bed. Eric was lounging on my bed and I wondered if he had left the room, seeing as I had gotten back home after sunset. I watched his face; his eyes were closed and I was sure he was resting. It was pretty much the same situation as earlier. The only difference between then and now was that I had showered. I kissed his cheek again before putting my head on his chest.

I was startled by a sudden hand on my back. I looked up and connected with a pair of blue eyes.

"Hey there," I greeted. He smiled at me.

"Your hair is wet," he observed.

I moved it off of him. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Eric gripped my shoulders softly and flipped me on my back. "Don't be," he growled, hovering over me, held up by one arm. I leaned up and pulled him down into a kiss, beating him to the punch. Eric intensified the kiss, slipping his tongue across my bottom lip. I parted my lips and Eric took the opening. He explored my mouth a minute longer before sliding his mouth down my neck, and then settling and gently sucking. Moaning softly, I ran my hands down Eric's back.

Eric then moved to the tie on my silk robe, opening it and leaving me in my bra and panties. I was inwardly happy that I had chosen a set that matched. I arched my back and let him unhook my bra, mostly because he did it so fast, I didn't realize it was happening. Equally as fast was the speed at which he took one of my nipples into his mouth, and I was dragged from my thoughts.

As he sucked my nipple, I could feel his fangs drag across it too, which caused me to shiver. "Babe, this is _a lot_ of fun and all, but we have to get dressed for tonight." My words were met with what I swore sounded like a sigh of annoyance. I decided to write it off as just a sigh, as I was a little preoccupied.

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**Omni POV**

After releasing a long held in sigh of annoyance, Eric looked at her. "Tonight? What's happening tonight?" he asked, feigning ignorance as he trailed kisses from her breast to her lips.

"I was thinking we'd go out tonight. You know, Sookie and Bill, Amelia and Trey, and you and I."

"As much as I would rather stay in and continue this," he gestured, rolling her other nipple between his fingers, "I just cannot seem to say no to you." He then leaned in for another breathtaking kiss, rolling his eyes before closing them. He then let her up so they could get ready.

The group ended up at Fangtasia after Dahlia realized that Eric didn't have any extra clothes. They entered from the back, and the other four went out into the bar after Eric encouraged them to have a drink on him. Dahlia hung back in the office with Eric. She plopped in his desk chair while he went to change.

A few moments later he emerged, wearing black slacks that were quite low on his hips, Dahlia noticed. He also had a black sleeveless undershirt on, and a navy blue dress shirt slung over his shoulder.

"You know, if you keep walking around half-dressed, I won't be held responsible for my actions," said Dahlia, sliding her arms around his waist. She could feel the muscles of his abs through his shirt and had to resist the urge to rip his clothes off right there.

"And here I thought we were taking things slow," he said, spinning around in her arms and placing a soft kiss on her neck.

"Oh we are, hun. You're still dressed aren't you?" She grinned at him. He slid on the dress shirt and she turned for the door. The next thing she knew, Eric had her pinned against the wall with his body, and her hands pinned above her head with his.

"That can be changed," he said, voice silky. He was starting to be impressed with the amount of self-control he was displaying with this girl. "You know, you really should stop teasing me if you expect me to keep the pace." He brushed her lips with a finger from his free hand before replacing it with his own lips. He planted several individual kisses on her mouth. Each time, Dahlia attempted to capture his lips for a deeper kiss, leaning her head forward. But each time her captive state prevented her. Eric laughed at her attempts, the deepness of his laugh vibrating through her body. "Slow, remember?"

Dahlia sighed against him and ceased her squirming. Eric kissed along her jaw line and released his grip. "Would you mind if we hung around Fangtasia tonight?" he asked her. "I think Pam scheduled a band for this week."

Dahlia shook her head. She knew that if they stayed here, Bill and Eric wouldn't have to feel as awkward as they might if they went to a restaurant or something.

By the time Dahlia and Eric had strolled out of the office, Fangtasia was in full swing for the night. There was indeed a band, one that was playing a rockabilly tune currently. Eric took Dahlia's hand in his, and lead her to his "VIP" area. He released her hand as he sat on his throne-like chair. As Dahlia went to sit in the adjacent chair, Eric grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into a sitting position on his lap. "You can ward my 'fan club' off better from here," he whispered in her ear, before playfully nibbling it. He could feel her heat from the position on his lap. _Maybe this won't be a bust tonight after all_, he pondered.

How she was going to keep her promise to herself and resist temptation, Dahlia did not know. She giggled at him before scanning the crowd for Sookie, Amelia, and their boyfriends.

From her station at the front doors, Pam could see the pretty redhead perched on Eric's lap. She had also seen the exchange between them and knew that Eric had put her there. _What the hell is he doing?_ Pam had a feeling that this girl wasn't just some fangbanger who knew Sookie. She was confused as to why Eric would be jeopardizing his 'untouchable' appearance at Fangtasia. _This one must be special or something_, thought Pam as she stamped the hands of a charming-looking vampire and one of those aforementioned fangbangers, who was clutching to his arm as if for dear life.

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Our little group was talking and laughing, when I saw someone at the bar. Someone familiar. I kissed Eric before excusing myself to the bathroom. The two other women offered to go with me, but I declined. The sight of this particular person had caused my shield to falter, and I was sure that Sookie had picked something up.

I snaked through the throng of people, some of them acknowledging me as the bartender from the night before. I smiled outwardly at them before entering the bathroom. I moved quickly to the sink area, bracing myself above one with my arms. I splashed some water on my face and moved to the paper towels, resisting the urge to cry. This resistance resulted in me slumped on the floor against the bathroom wall, hugging my knees. This was how Sookie found me when she entered the bathroom.

"Oh God, D! What's wrong?" The blonde asked as she ran over.

"It's my ex. He's here. I just need a moment, kay?" I looked up at Sookie.

"Ok. But still, even though Eric is powerful and all, don't do anything rash." I nodded. _Where the hell did that advice come from, Miss Always-does-something-rash_, I heard Sookie wonder to herself as she left the bathroom.

I stood up and composed myself, looking in the mirror before exiting the bathroom. Exiting the bathroom _and_ knocking clean into a mess of silk and sequins.

"Watch where your going, bitch," spat the wiry brunette.

"If you weren't wandering in your drug-induced stupor, maybe you would have seen the door opening," I shot back. The brunette was about to take a swing at me when a suit-clad figure stepped between us, facing the other woman. No, strike that…girl.

"What did I tell you about leaving my sight, Janine?" He questioned the brunette. I knew that voice. I turned and left as fast as humanly possible.

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**Omni POV**

"Cale," she whispered, barely audible, before walking away. If it hadn't been for his heightened hearing, he would have missed his name. He spun around quickly, but only in enough time to see a blur of red hair and grey fabric turn the corner. No matter, he would have recognized that ass and those legs anywhere. Cale smiled to himself before turning back to his…plaything.

Dahlia walked back across the club to Eric's section. Eric stood and met her halfway. He offered himself in a hug position, which she gladly accepted. He didn't have to be a telepath to know that something was up. "What's wrong?" he asked, slipping on a concerned face.

She brushed him off. She didn't know him _that_ well. "Nothing. I was just feeling a little flushed is all."

His initially friendly hug turned more intimate as his hands slid to her lower back. "Now, I wouldn't have had anything to do with that, would I?"

"And what makes you think that you're the only one who lights my fire, Eric? There are a bunch of good-looking guys here," she said, smugly. Her smug nature was really starting to piss him off. He'd have to put her in her place later.

"But _you_ just admitted that _I_ light your fire," he replied, slipping back into character and sliding a playful hand over her butt.

"Oh just shut up and dance with me," she smirked. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out on the floor, much to the surprise of some of the regulars…and Pam. The regulars were wondering what this girl, this _fangbanger_, was thinking; Pam was wondering what Eric had gotten himself into.

The song playing was _Enjoy the Silence_ by Lacuna Coil. It's beat was fast enough to dance to, but slow enough to be sensual. With Eric's hand still in hers, she spun around so her back was to him and his arm was around her waist. Eric looked over her head at Sookie, who was snuggled up to Bill. His eyes narrowed and he pushed away some of the feelings that Sookie clearly no longer reciprocated. As the intro to the song faded, Dahlia began to move her hips side to side.

As soon as Dahlia started to move, Eric came out of the Sookie-induced thought bubble he was in. He didn't think he had ever danced in his club, and he had no clue why he was doing it now. But he took Dahlia's movements as a cue and pulled her tighter to him. _If I'm going to dance, I might as well enjoy it_, he thought with a smirk. Impervious to the stares from the fellow dancers, Eric kept in time with Dahlia's motions. By the end of the song, the feeling of her body moving against his was almost too much for him to bear. It took a massive amount of will power for him to resist both his simple urge to bite her right there and his more extreme urge to lay her out on the dance floor and have his way with her. _What the fuck? _he thought.

The song had changed to a faster one, but the two of them were still pressed intimately together. It was Dahlia who broke their contact first. "I think I need a drink," she said to him. _And a cold shower…scratch that, a hot one_, she mused as she thought of his cold skin on her body. He followed her to the bar as she scanned for Cale, who was nowhere in sight. She sat on a stool with Eric standing behind her, one hand on her hip. She ordered a glass of red wine for herself and then the bartender turned his attention to his boss.

"What type of TruBlood for you tonight, sir?" the bartender asked Eric.

"B positive," Dahlia supplied as the bartender went to get their drinks. The synapses in Eric's brain connected and a smile spread across his mouth.

"You gave me TruBlood that was your type when we watched a movie at your house. Is this your way of brainwashing me?" he spoke, eyebrows raised. She shot him a look. "If it is, that would explain why I feel like I have no control when I'm around you," he confessed. _That sounds remotely convincing_, he thought. A little overwhelmed by his words, Dahlia leaned up to kiss him as their drinks arrived. Eric picked up the drinks. "Let's take these into my office. It's loud out here, and between the noise and you working your mind magic on me, I can't think straight." He smiled at her. She got up from the barstool and followed Eric.

-----

From where she and Bill were sitting, Sookie had full view of Eric and Dahlia. She had to admit that she did like Dahlia and was still kind of pissed that Eric had openly admitted to using her. But if he was just looking for a quick fuck, why on Earth was he out there dancing with her. She scanned the club, apparently everyone else was thinking the same thing. She also knew that Eric had witnessed her PDA with Bill and was hoping he was starting to get the idea. She honestly didn't know why he was trying to hold on to her and why he refused to see Dahlia as more than said 'quick fuck'. When she saw them leave the bar and head towards Eric's office, Sookie decided to intervene.

Outside the door to the office Dahlia and Eric were stopped by the other two couples. Immediately, Dahlia felt like a huge bitch for letting Cale's presence and her time with Eric cause her to neglect the people she had asked to come here. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry for leaving you guys hanging out there," she said sheepishly. The group simultaneously murmured their 'no problems' and Dahlia picked up an 'it's completely understandable…both distractions' from Sookie's mind. That thought was partnered with a look from the petite blonde, a look that was shot at the blonde Viking behind her.

"We were going to head home anyway, to…" Sookie searched for a less brash term.

"Continue this party," Amelia finished for her, clearly a little on the tipsy side. Both girls hugged Dahlia goodbye before they exited through the club's back door. Eric could feel Sookie's disappointment in him. Dahlia then turned to Eric, who was still holding their drinks. She gave him a gentle shove into the office.

Once inside the office, she closed the door and leaned against it. Eric perched himself at the corner of his desk and watched her. "Are you sure this isn't some clever ploy to get me alone with you?" she teased, walking over to him and picking up the glass of wine. "You know, to do _unspeakable_ things while no ones watching," she said before sipping her wine and stepping in the space _directly_ in front of where Eric was perched.

"Dahlia," he said, voice a little ragged, "I already resisted the urge to flat out fuck you while you were rubbing against me on the dance floor earlier. I'm a strong man, but I can't promise I will be able to do it a second time." That was the most truthful he had been with her from the get-go. He ran a finger across her cheek and brushed it across her lips. She studied his face for a moment, determining that he was serious.

She finished her glass of wine and placed it on Eric's desk. "I um…think I should head home then. I'm having a hard time fighting temptation too, and I still don't want to rush into anything yet." He looked at her as she spoke, trying to mask his feelings of frustration. He didn't want her to leave, but he also didn't want their tension to escalate to a point where he'd force her into something she didn't want yet. _Where the hell did that come from? What is this girl doing to me?_ Eric questioned himself as she walked to the door.

Despite his conscious decision to stay where he was, something inside him moved him toward her. He caught up to her before she touched the handle. "Dahlia, I care about you deeply. I'm only letting you go now because I know it will benefit us in the long run." He deserved an freaking Oscar for this performance, but there was something inside him that was feeling bad. He kissed her goodbye and opened the door. As Dahlia was walking to her car, she turned back to look at Eric, and she swore she saw sadness in his eyes. Eric knew was his eyes were telling her, which caused him to wonder why they were saying anything other than anger at his sexually frustrated state.

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Cale watched Dahlia get into her car. He also noticed that Eric, the Area Sheriff, had walked her to her car. He knew Eric was a powerful man, but that did not matter much to him. Cale was used to getting what he desired. And at the present moment, that 'what' was Dahlia.

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**Congrats. You've completed the epic chapter. Hope the perspective shifts didn't throw anyone off. Let me know if anything needs clarification.**

**Next Chapter: Dahlia and Eric think a bunch, then meet up again. We'll see what happens.**

**-Sydney**


	8. Return

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: Howdy all! This update is dedicated to tonight's episode of True Blood. I really hope that my use of perspective switches makes sense to you guys. Please feel free to let me know if it doesn't, or if something else needs clarification. Or, just hit me up to say hi. I really like hearing from the people who are reading this. So, without further ado, chapter eight of Drawn.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Eight- Return**

I stood at my window, running a hand across the sun proof shutter that remained there. It had been almost two weeks since the night at Fangtasia. The same night I practically had to pull myself away from Eric. The same night I saw Cale for the first time in a year. On both accounts, I was scared shitless. With the feelings that I was finding that the I had for Eric, coupled with our strong sexual tension, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed. Then on top of that, seeing Cale worried me.

Over my two-week thinking period, I decided two things. One: Cale's appearance at Fangtasia was most likely a one-time thing, probably due to the coke-slut I ran into by the bathroom, and he probably didn't see me anyway. And two: I _really_ wanted to be with Eric, and I wasn't going to let my stupid past with Cale stop me from something great.

Part of me was hoping that Eric hadn't forgotten about me over those two-weeks, the other part of me was figuring that he already had. Despite the pessimistic part of myself, I pulled a teal sweater dress and black boots on, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and headed downstairs. Once downstairs, I left a note for Sookie and Amelia. I stepped outside the house into the crimson glow of sunset, and then got into my car.

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**Omni POV**

Eric was sitting in his office working on the books for Fangtasia when he glanced at the little desk calendar by the computer. Thinking a moment, he noticed that it had been roughly around two weeks since he had seen or heard from Dahlia. Upon this realization, he realized something else: he had been thinking about Dahlia an awful lot. He threw the little calendar at the wall, which caused it to scatter white squares of paper all over the floor. Pam emerged from behind the shower of white.

"I guess I'll need to order you another calendar?" she asked as she strolled into the office. "I just wanted to let you know that James is here for inventory. But I have to ask, what did the calendar do to you?" She looked at her master, trying not to smile.

"It reminded me of Dahlia."

"Oh. Much like how we had to replace the chair your sitting on, and clean up the wine bottle you also gave the calendar-treatment?" Eric shot Pam a look and was about to yell at her when he realized what she said had a ring of truth to it. He was breaking things more frequently.

"What is happening to me, Pam?"

"It's obvious that you care about this girl. I noticed it the last time she was here. You got up and danced, for gods' sake."

"I was just trying to placate her. She still hasn't yielded to me yet, you know."

"So why exactly did you not just make her yield? Why go through all of this human nonsense to try and get something from her that you could get from any woman that strolls through this establishment?" asked Pam.

"I…I do not know." he replied.

"That's called caring about someone, Master. I know that this is an emotion that is somewhat…unfamiliar to you, but it's what's happening here with Dahlia. The last time I saw you like this was when you met Sookie, who I understand is now back with Mr. Compton?" Eric nodded. "So if I were you, I'd suck it up about your feelings for Sookie and give Dahlia an honest go." Eric looked at her sideways. "You saw her only as a fangbanger, I know you."

Eric looked down. If it was anyone else being so blunt with him, he would have torn them limb from limb. Pam however, was both important to him and right in what she was saying. He hated it when she was right. "Ok, I'll try," was all he said as he got up to go do the inventory. Pam had just hailed a barmaid to clean the calendar remnants off the floor when she heard someone at the back door.

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It was dark by the time I got to Shreveport. Parking around back, I tossed my fast-food garbage in the dumpster. I knocked on the back door and waited. To say the least, I was a little disappointed when Pam answered.

"We're we expecting you tonight?" she asked. "If so, then we must have double booked, James is already out there," she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder.

"I'm here to see Eric, actually," I replied.

"Is _he_ expecting you?" asked Pam, genuinely curious.

"No…but please, Pam, I need to talk to him," I answered.

"Well ok," said Pam, moving out of the doorway to let me though. "He's at the bar doing inventory with James."

Just as Pam had said, I found Eric at the bar, scanning over bottles of liquor and synthetic blood. He was wearing his trademark black undershirt, and another pair of the jeans that were too low to be legal. He was so involved in taking inventory that he didn't notice my presence until I was practically on top of them.

"Dahlia," he breathed, looking up suddenly. James took a silent hint and left, taking a box of TruBlood to the storage room.

I suddenly felt stupid for coming. "Well, shit, I come down here and I have no clue what to say to you," I started. "First, I guess I want to say I'm sorry for walking out last time. I also wanted to reiterate that the fighting temptation thing goes both ways. And I'm sorry about not calling during the last two weeks."

"You don't have to apologize for any of that. I understand why you did it. Besides, I could have called you too." He came out from behind the bar to where I was standing. He put his hands on my waist and lifted me so that I was sitting on the bar. He slid one hand down to my thigh and placed a soft kiss on my lips. "I'm glad you came back though."

"So does this mean you haven't forgotten about me?" I asked, smirking. "You know, with your fan club and all." Before I could say another syllable, Eric's mouth was against mine again, driving me crazy.

"You're doing it again, Dahlia. Like I said before, I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself," he said seriously.

"And what if I don't want you to stop?" I kissed him again before continuing. "Look, over those two weeks I thought a lot, and I'm over all of my hang-ups now. I want you, I want to be _with_ you," I said, suggestion in my voice. Just as I was starting to grab at his belt, Pam walked in from the back.

"We…uh…need to open now," she said, a hand on her hip.

Speechless for what was probably the first time in his 1000 years, "Uh, yeah," was all that Eric could say as he helped me off of the bar. Pam just shook her head as she walked to the door. Eric looked back at me. "Later tonight?" he whispered. I nodded, coming down off the charge that was starting to build. He kissed me quickly before walking me out to my car.

Even after I was in my car and Eric had returned inside, I had to take a minute to breathe before driving back home.

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**Omni POV**

When Eric returned inside he encountered Pam, who had one of the biggest smirks he'd ever seen on her face. "So does this mean you won't be breaking things anymore?"

"Probably not."

"Good. Besides I had no idea sexual frustration would make you so violent." Pam braced herself for the hit that never came.

"Neither did I," he smirked.

"I just have one question though. Did you mean what you said to her? That you understood why she left and that you were glad she was back here?" she asked, studying his face.

"For the first time since I met her, yes, I did mean what I said." And with that, they opened the doors for the evening.

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**Just as an informational tidbit, this chapter had originally included this story's first lemon. However, after I added the Eric/Pam exchanges this chapter ended up being like seven or so pages long, so I cut it into two chapters. Sorry to all those awaiting the lemony parts.**

**Next Chapter: Lemon. 'Nuff said. :)**

**-Sydney**


	9. Together

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: No special celebration for updating today. But it was Alexander Skarsgard's birthday on Tuesday, so we could go with that. Or that it's Friday, and everyone loves Fridays, right?**

**Anyway, this entire chapter is one lemon. You have been warned. If you don't like that type of stuff, hang tight for chapter 10.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Nine- Together**

Around 11pm, I had given up at staring at the clock. I had also given up pacing around my room and looking at my fingernails as if they were hamburgers. Now I was onto staring out my window and down onto the driveway. It had been almost five whole hours since I left Shreveport and the anticipation was starting to get to me. Hours one through three were passable, but mostly because I had watched a movie with Sookie and Amelia, which had been effectively distracting . Now Sookie was covering the rest of Arlene's shift because she had gotten sick, and Amelia was sleeping alone due to the full moon. Now, I was left to entertain myself until Eric came.

I actually was kind of wishing that he hadn't suggested that we meet up later, that he had simply surprised me instead. Or better yet, made love to me on the bar, Pam or no Pam.

I was staring out the window, hoping I could use my telepathy to will someone there, when Eric finally pulled into the driveway. I glanced at my bed for a moment before heading downstairs. I had put what I considered 'sex sheets' on my bed, a black set, somewhere between hours three and four. I was really hoping we'd make it up to my room, half because I loved how he looked in black, and half because it'd would be awkward if someone came home or downstairs. Before I could even make it to the bedroom door, Eric was floating outside my window. I opened the window, letting him inside. _Well, at least that solved my fear of not making it in here_, I thought as I closed and locked both the window and shutter.

"Hell of an entrance," I commented.

"I don't get to do that often," he replied.

I studied his face for a moment before doing anything further. I really didn't want it to be a 'hit it and quit it' situation, but those five hours had been sheer torture and I was still charged from our almost-encounter at the bar. In that same moment, Eric was looking at me. For some reason, I could pick up some pieces of his thoughts. He was hoping my desire for him hadn't fizzled in our time apart, as his certainly hadn't. He had also been uncharacteristically jumpy that night, and Pam had told him to just leave, mostly because he was alarming some patrons. He was also hoping I was still serious about not wanting him to stop.

During our mutual looking, we made eye contact. That was all that it took to wash away my apprehension and apparently answer Eric's mental questions. He was right in front of me in an instant, lips crushing mine in the next. I pulled him back towards my bed, lips still connecting, until I was as far as I could go without falling backwards. "Now where did we leave off earlier?" I asked him, my hands going to his belt once more. Once I finished with it, I started to slide the illegally low jeans over the rest of his hips, revealing black silk boxer briefs. "Those jeans were driving me crazy," I remarked as Eric kissed down my neck, his hands moving to my thighs and the hem of my dress. He removed my dress in one fluid motion, barely breaking our contact. He smiled when he saw my black lace bra and matching ruffle panties under the rather conservative dress.

"I needed to level the playing field," he said with a smirk, replying to my look at his quick stripping. I stuck my tongue out at him, to which he responded by trapping it with his mouth, drawing me into another kiss. Seeing as my bed was higher than average, Eric lifted me onto it, like he had with the bar at Fangtasia. _While I have nothing against beds, I wish I would have ignored Pam and just done her on the bar,_ I somehow managed to pull from his mind, smiling to myself.

After being placed on the bed, I rolled into a kneeling position, placing my hands on his shoulders. I gently tugged and he took the cue, climbing on the bed with me. He grabbed me suddenly and the next thing I knew, I was flat on my back with Eric hovering above me. I also realized that I was now topless, my bra on the floor with my dress. In the next instant, his mouth was on my right breast, licking and sucking. I then reached for the hem of his tank top, which I practically ripped off of him. After throwing the shirt onto our pile of clothes, I hooked my index fingers onto the waistband of his underwear.

"Not so fast, lover," Eric purred, taking hold of my hands, "ladies first." He slid my panties off, attempting not to rip them in his haste. I understood that he liked them. After discarding my panties, he sat kneeling, watching me.

I pulled back. "Wait, wait, wait. That's not fair. Why do you get to see me naked, but you still have your boxers on?" I sat up to a kneeling position, face to face with Eric. He slipped his hands around to my backside and pulled me tight to him. I could feel his hardness through his shorts from my current position, and decided to use that to my advantage.

Despite the fact that Eric was holding me pretty tightly, I still had a bit of freedom to move. Capitalizing on this fact, I began to grind against him. A small moan escaped Eric's lips at my movement. "You little tease," he breathed out, pulling me tighter to him and capturing my lips in another kiss.

"You know, I wouldn't have to tease you so much if you would just have your way with me already," I said with a smirk, breaking his grasp. I crawled to the opposite side of the large bed, wiggling my ass at him the whole time. Obviously, those words and my actions must have been the right ones, because the next thing that I knew, Eric was naked and behind me, holding me up in a kneeling position. As fast as he had gotten behind me, he had entered me. Although it was a little rough, I was ready for it and happy that I had finally gotten what I had been waiting for.

I reached behind and put my hands on his thighs, as a signal for him to hold on. I needed a moment to adjust to his size, he was definitely bigger than Cale. He was bigger than anyone I had been with, as a matter of fact. Once I was settled, I moved my hands from his thighs and placed one loosely around his neck. "Ok," I whispered.

The first time Eric withdrew partially and then thrust back in, I thought I was going to lose it right then. After a few more thrusts, I sank back onto his lap, my thighs felt like Jell-O. Eric listened to my heavy panting and took it as a cue to switch positions. He slid out of me and turned us around so that I was lying on my back. He knelt by my feet and hooked his hands around the back of my knees. He then pulled me to him, connecting our bodies once more. "Shit, Eric," I cursed, at a pitch I was certain my housemates had heard. But at this point, I really didn't care about discretion, all I cared about was what Eric was doing to my body. Eric smiled at my outburst, watching my hands twist the sheets while he continued hammering into me.

Eric kept this pace up for the remainder of our coupling. Once I regained myself, I matched him rhythmically until I started to feel my peak build. I had just placed my hands on Eric's broad shoulders when I felt him shudder in his climax. He kissed down my neck before biting my shoulder, finally marking me as his. It was this act that caused me to go over the edge, calling out his name and tightening my grasp on his shoulders, slightly breaking skin. Eric lay gently on top of me, remaining inside.

A couple minutes later, Eric had pulled out, much to my disappointment, and was laying next to me. He had his arm around my stomach, licking and sucking at the bite mark on my shoulder. I shifted myself so that my top half was across his and my head was on his chest. I ran my thumb over the fingernail shaped cuts that I had left on Eric's shoulder. "Did I hurt you?" I asked. As soon as the words left my mouth, I kicked myself mentally for the stupidity of the question.

Eric laughed softly and shook his head, "I should be asking you that question." I slightly tilted my head in confusion. "You were the one practically screaming bloody murder, lover." I socked him in the side with a spare throw pillow before shooting him a look. Eric patted me on the butt before speaking. "I like it that you are…vocal," he said, and I could tell that he was looking for a word that wouldn't warrant another pillow hit.

"Nice save," I retaliated. I looked up at him, and he had a very smug look on his face. I lifted myself up and swung my leg over Eric, who had fully recovered at this point, straddling his stomach first. Eric's face changed to a look of disappointment at my current destination, and I smirked, refusing to be one-upped. I then leaned down so that we were a breath apart, supporting myself with my arms. My long hair cascaded down, ticking his neck before I kissed him softly. Then, I scooted back until I was hovering above his manhood. I settled down on him, ready for round two.

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**So there that is. I actually believe that chapter 10 is kind of lemony too. Whatev. That's why this story is rated M. So, as always, show me some love in the form of a review of PM. And thanks for reading.**

**-Sydney**


	10. Steam Heat

**Drawn.**

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A/N: Well, the day I posted chapter nine (Friday) was my highest-traffic day so far, which is further proof of the truth in the statement "sex sells". Which I'm perfectly fine with. Hope you enjoyed the last chapter, and there is some more lemony goodness in this chapter as well. Also, this chapter is dedicated to tonight's episode of True Blood, "Frenzy", as well as the talented personage that is Alexander Skarsgard as Eric Northman. He looks especially nice in that suit in tonight's episode, also.

**Enjoy and Happy SIN-day!**

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**Chapter Ten- Steam Heat**

If I had been smashed last night, I would have had plenty of evidence of my encounter with Eric. First, I was sore as hell, but in a 'I just had really phenomenal sex' kind of way. Secondly, there were clothes strewn all about the room. However, the most telling sign was the six-foot Viking occupying the space next to me. I glanced at the clock, 5:15pm. Damn, I had slept almost 12 hours. I sat back on my elbows, sheets around my stomach. Despite the fact that my room was currently pitch black, I had the foresight to plug in some nightlights in addition to the small lamp next to my bed. After clicking the lamp on, I looked over at said Viking, who was out like a light. After a quick kiss on the cheek, I rummaged around for clothes. My underwear drawer was within reach, so I settled on a pair of white cotton boy shorts and Eric's black tank top.

I crawled out of bed and went to the door, using the nightlights as a guide. I slipped out of the room, thankful that the sun was starting to set and the window wasn't facing my door. Tiptoeing downstairs, I thought I was sneaky, only to see my two housemates sitting on the loveseat in the living room. The final step squeaked under my step, and both sets of eyes focused on me. I entered said living room and curled up in the available armchair, waiting for the barrage of questions from my friends.

"So taking it slow amounts to two weeks?" Sookie asked, a huge grin across her face.

"Says you?" Amelia countered with a reference to her relationship with Bill, nudging Sookie in the side.

"Fair enough," Sookie replied.

"We don't even have to ask if it was good, because I'm pretty sure all of Bon Temps could hear you," said Amelia, before having a fit of hysterical laughter. I put a hand over my face, mortified.

"I wasn't actually _that _loud, was I?" I asked through my fingers.

"Oh, Eric!" Amelia shrieked before swooning over the arm of the loveseat. Sookie burst out laughing; I shot them both death glares before standing up and going to the kitchen.

"That's a nice ensemble by the way," I heard Sookie call as I opened the refrigerator. I grabbed two bottles: one full of water, the other of TruBlood. Coming back into the living room, I resumed my seat. "Eric's shirt really compliments your post-sex hair," Sookie continued. She was too busy laughing to dodge the pillow that I threw at her.

"Is that your primary defense?" asked a deep voice coming from behind us. Eric strolled down the stairs and across the room, shirtless and re-clad in those incredible jeans. He stopped behind my chair. "And I have to agree with Sookie," he added, kissing the top of my head. I handed him the bottle of TruBlood and he left for the kitchen to heat it. All three of us started giggling.

Our laughter was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Someone male. We looked up to see Bill in Sookie's doorway, wearing drawstring pajama pants. Both Amelia and I shot Sookie accusatory looks.

"I, uh, put up those shutters," she conceded, running a hand through her hair. We all started laughing again. Eric returned with not one, but two bottles of TruBlood. He handed one to Bill, and the two of them then occupied the couch. Eric lifted his bottle to his mouth, tipping it in my direction in silent homage followed by a wink. This caused me to both smile and feel my temperature rise, my hand slowly going to the bite mark on my shoulder. I noted that the rest of the group was having a candid conversation about the shifters' publicity, completely ignoring our silent exchange. I finished my water and went to the kitchen, followed by Eric.

"Exchanging sex tips, lover?" he teased, setting his empty bottle in the sink.

I responded, "Yeah. We were comparing notes. Sookie was telling us how _huge_ Bill is in comparison," my voice dripped with sarcasm and I stuck my tongue out at him. Then he was on me, running his hands over my rear.

"You just won't stop baiting me, will you?" he breathed against my neck.

"I personally think it adds a certain spice to our relationship, don't ya think," I said, my tone slipping into a gasp when his hand dipped into my boy shorts.

"So does a quickie in the kitchen," he murmured, dipping his fingers into me. He kissed my shoulder, running his tongue across the mark there, fangs exposed. After breathing out a barely audible moan, I pushed away from him lightly.

"You're such an exhibitionist," I commented, "and a horn dog." I slapped him playfully on the butt.

"You're lucky I just don't sling you over my shoulder and carry you to your room," he whispered behind me as I walked out of the kitchen. As tempting as that sounded at the moment, I brushed it off.

"Would you like me to come into work tonight?" I asked casually.

"Only if we don't come near each other around that bar," he joked. "I'm not _that_ much of an exhibitionist," he paused. "Well maybe I am, but still." I giggled, pressing a kiss to his lips and heading upstairs.

"We'll just have to save that for a day off then," I remarked, turning the corner at the top of the staircase. Eric emitted a low growl before grabbing me by the waist, pulling me against his body.

"I think we can squeeze something in before we leave," he suggested, running his hands down my sides. Before I could protest, Eric pulled his tank top off of me. His hands slid up to my now-exposed breasts, massaging them.

"Jesus, Eric, couldn't you at least wait until we got_ in_ my bedroom?" I asked, with a tone of pseudo-scolding. Still attached, we made it through my doorway before Eric pushed me up against the first firm surface he could encounter. Said surface happened to be the bathroom door. I turned the handle, letting our weight open the door, which landed against the wall with a slight clunk. This caused me to giggle a little, while Eric was occupied kissing the hell out of my neck and shoulders. We moved off the door, only to be up against the other wall. I closed the door before undoing Eric's jeans, pushing them down along with his shorts.

Eric stopped his assault on my shoulders long enough to kick his clothes off from around his feet. When he resumed kissing, he moved to my breasts, alternating. I let out a squeak when Eric tugged on one of my nipples. He then slid both hands down my bare stomach to the top of my boy shorts. He made quick work of them, ripping them on both sides, the now-useless cloth falling to the floor. I grabbed his hands and pulled him to the shower, turning on the water.

"Multitasking," I smiled up at him, stepping into the shower. The water was still pretty cold, and it caused me to jump back…and into Eric.

"Cold, lover?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me. I nodded and I could feel him smiling on the back of my neck. He turned me around to face him, arms still around me, and he kissed me. Now, this kiss wasn't one of the frantic, lusty ones, like what he was doing earlier. This kiss was slow, sensual, and full of a warmth that I had never expected to experience from the blonde vampire. Or any vampire for that matter. "Better?" he inquired, to which all I could do was nod. I lifted a casual foot behind me to test the water, which was now warmer. I stepped back into the spray, pulling Eric with me. Our lips connected again and I could have sworn the temperature in that shower rose a couple degrees, as cliché as that sounds. _That_ kiss was fueled with the lusty passion I mentioned earlier.

Eric lifted me up as if I were a feather and held me against the shower wall. His strength never ceased to amaze me. He positioned himself, wasting no time, and then entered. I let out a gasp and wrapped my legs around his waist. He snaked an arm around my waist and began to move. He was moving at a pace that was agonizingly slow, every stroke caused me to moan uncontrollably…and loudly, I might add. Eric smiled proudly as he lowered his head to my breasts. He began sucking on one of my nipples, all the while maintaining that _fucking slow speed._ I gripped his shoulders. "Fuck me harder," I demanded, practically aching for release. He pretended to ignore me at first, which probably would have worked had he not looked me in the eyes. I knew the look in my eyes echoed the demand of my words. So did he.

He gradually increased his pace until he was nailing me in every sense of the expression, pardon its vulgarity. I was silently happy that the shower was running, because I was pretty sure the sounds I was making gave last night's performance a run for its money. Even though the sounds of the pipe masked a lot of the noise, I was also sure I'd be catching hell from Sookie and Amelia about being gone so long. As I was violently ripped away from my thoughts, I bit down as an orgasm rushed through my body, lessening any chance I might have had at forming a sentence or a thought. I was sort of aware of some primal-sounding noises coming from Eric's direction and in the next moment Eric had bitten me, which was basically the equivalent of driving a knife through my cognitive skills. The only thing I was even remotely aware of was the fact that my body was currently sliding down the shower wall. I came to a stop when I had apparently put my feet down.

When I found my mind, I also found Eric staring at me. "What?" I asked, fumbling to find my washcloth. It was supposed to be a shower after all. In my fumbling I also managed to find the soap.

"You zoned out for a couple of minutes. I was worried," he admitted. He brought his hand up to my face and stroked my cheek.

"I always zone out after mind-blowing sex," I offered, covering his hand with mine. I pressed my lips against his in a kiss of gratitude, gratitude I hoped he picked up on.

"You're welcome," was his response. I was hoping it was in reference to the kiss and not to the 'mind-blowing sex' mondo-compliment I gave him. I was probably wrong. I smiled at him before poking him in the stomach. Lathering the washcloth I had grabbed, I began to wash myself. He broke our contact, only to snatch the washcloth out of my hand. I started to protest when he gave me a look and started to wash me himself.

After taking painstaking care to make sure _every inch_ of my body was clean, and I his, we rinsed off. I turned the faucet off and we stepped out. While I wrapped myself in a towel, Eric moved toward me, moving a strand of hair from my face. "Beautiful," he commented. Personally, I thought I looked like a drowned rat. I kept this thought to myself for the sake of the moment. I smiled and handed him another towel, which he wrapped around himself. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist, hugging me tightly. "I like this," he said, as we studied our reflection in the mirror.

"Me too, Eric," I sighed. "Me too."

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**Aww, don't we just like cute moments? For those of you thinking WTF with the switch in Eric, fear not, some shit is gonna go down. I'd also like to add that this is a story from Dahlia's perspective. So even though I included some Omni before on Eric, Dahlia has no idea about that. She's taking everything she hears and experiences at face value. So read what Eric says and interpret it as you will. It will be cleared up in time, I promise. Thanks and please send me some love!**

**-Sydney**


	11. Point of View

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: Happy September everyone! Due to the positive response I've received since posting chapter ten, paired with the fact that I wrote two new chapters in the last 24 hours, I'm feeling pretty chipper at the moment. So I've decided to post chapter eleven early. I'm also pretty stoked because I came up with the premise and plot of a new fic. So that'll be debuting sometime in the near future…a.k.a. when I write the first chapter. So here's chapter eleven, it gets interesting here.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Eleven- Point of View**

I stood wrapped in my towel…and Eric…for what seemed like a small eternity. Despite his cold skin, I felt strangely warm with his arms around me. He continued to whisper his satisfaction against my neck, alternated with kisses.

After that small eternity of comfortable, relative silence, Eric pressed a kiss to my temple and broke our contact. Determined to keep my dignity in tact, I resisted the urge to re-latch onto him and let him exit the bathroom. I pushed my hair back with my fingers before exiting as well. I pulled the bathroom door behind me and leaned against it. I looked around to see Eric lying on his stomach on my bed. There was practically a glow around him from the contrast of his skin on my black sheets. I tore my eyes away from him and wandered into my closet. I selected some clothes and returned to the room.

Eric remained in his position, but now his head was being propped up by his forearms. He looked as if he was enjoying a good television program, except in this case _I_ was in primetime. I draped the clothes over a chair and got some undergarments out of my drawer. I vested myself quickly in my red bra and thong; I figured any lingering moment of nudity would be detrimental to our time schedule. I also made quick work of putting my stockings and black miniskirt on. I tried my best to avoid looking at Eric as well, he just looked too damn good on my bed _sans towel_. With my back toward him, I pulled on my black and red striped riding jacket. I fastened the single button; it was incredibly low-cut and part of my red bra was visible.

Once I was clothed, I turned back to Eric, who had now readjusted to a sitting position. A sitting position that was _completely_ derailing my train of thought in his current towel-less state. My train was conveniently saved by a knock on the door. I walked to the door and opened it slightly, as Eric was making no attempts at modesty. Sookie was on the other side, a t-shirt in hand.

"I figured Eric would be in need of clothes. I also figured that Bill's pants wouldn't work, so I brought this shirt," she said. After handing me the shirt, she winked, mouthed the word 'details', and headed for the stairs. I smiled to myself before closing the door.

"Could you please put some pants on," I contested. Eric did what I can only describe as a 'shrug-nod' and complied. I tossed the shirt to him as well, which he caught without looking. I left him to dress and entered my bathroom. There was still a trace of his scent and it caused me to shiver with excitement. I brought myself back to the task at hand and pulled out my makeup. I stared at it for a minute before doing a minimal job; I had come to the conclusion that my ensemble was dramatic enough on its own. I left my hair loose and wavy as well.

When I returned to my room, Eric was (thankfully) dressed and ready to go. He was also sitting on my couch. Upon my re-entry, he stood and openly ogled me from head to toe. Much to my surprise, this blatant eye-fuck was paired with a flood of thoughts and images that entered my mind. These thoughts and images were so explicit, most romance novelists would blush. These thoughts and images were the kind that were _always_ kept to one's self. And these thoughts and images, they were most certainly _not_ my own. Upon this realization, all I could do was stare at my blonde vampire. I was severely hoping this staring did not reflect the 'holy fucking shit I think I just read your mind' thought currently running through my mind.

"Is something wrong, lover?" he asked. _Thank God, it didn't._ I brushed off my revelation for the time being and spread a smile across my face.

"Nope. All good here," I responded. "So…what do you think?" I posed my own question, shifting from leg to leg, trying to look model-esque. Even though I already knew what he thought, I was curious as to whether or not he'd let it influence his answer.

"You look completely…fuckable," he answered. So apparently today was Eric's day to throw humbleness and modesty out the freaking window. On my end however, the frankness of the statement was oddly satisfying.

"You do know that if you keep saying things like that, we might never get to Fangtasia," I pointed out.

"Would that honestly be so bad?" he asked. In his close proximity, I could feel his presence. When his hand brushed my bottom, I felt my legs go wobbly. I was seriously getting tired of my body's constant betrayal of my mind.

"Well no, but come on, let's go to work." I felt more of his body make contact with mine. Specifically, an extremely hard lower extremity. I looked up at him, "You are _insatiable_," I stated.

"You know it." He smiled and kissed my forehead. "But you're right, I suppose. Let's get going." And at that we were out the door and on our way to Shreveport. We moved outside and into Eric's car. The ride was full of silence laced with soft music, and Eric shifting uncomfortably in his seat. His motions caused something to occur to me, he was still hard and I was partially to blame for it. Me, and his ever-ready libido. Then there was obviously another body-mind betrayal, because I had subconsciously agreed to road head.

---

A few hours later, I was raking in the tips at the bar. Eric had kept his distance all night, still not trusting himself with me and the bar. He kept shooting me looks and winks from time to time, however. It was when I was involved with one of those looks that I didn't see someone approach the bar. I smiled across at Eric, who blew me a kiss. This caused me to turn my head, which in turn caused me to notice the person in front of me. Suppressing a 'what the fuck are you doing here', I said the next word that crossed my brain, "Cale."

A smirk crossed his stupid face, and we locked eyes. "Dahlia, my pet."

"Fuck off," I hissed.

"Still as feisty as ever, I see," he commented.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, clearly annoyed.

"I'm here to see you, my pet." I winced at the nickname. "I saw you here the other night, and I'd like to offer you a chance to be mine again." I resisted the urge to reach out and smack him; I really didn't want to draw any attention.

"If you remember correctly, I left you," I deadpanned.

He laughed, "Oh yes, that's right. Well then I'm here to offer you a chance to be mine again…_willingly_." His frankness shocked me.

"For your information, I'm not currently available."

"Yes…Northman…I saw that you were his newest _plaything_."

"Also for your information, he cares about me," I countered.

Cale's green eyes were piercing. "He cares about you so much that he's never invited you to his place? So much that he never takes you out? So much that you barely leave your bedroom? And he gets you to perform…certain acts? Stop me when I'm wrong."

"You _are_ wrong. He cares about me. He's nothing like _you_," I said, adding emphasis on the last word. "Now please leave, before I decide to test how much he does care."

"You will regret this Dahlia. And you will see that you will belong to me, whether you want to or not." And with that, Cale was gone. I looked around, Eric was nowhere to be seen either. I looked at the clock; it was ten minutes until closing and the bar was pretty much empty, most people were wandering off in pairs by now. Knowing that James could handle the bar himself I went to the back.

Eric was sitting in his office, clicking away at a computer. "Hello, lover," he said, without looking up. "Closing time already?"

"Pretty much. I was wondering where you were." I walked over behind his chair. "Whatcha doing?"

"Accounting."

"Hmm…interesting," I said, walking around to the front of his desk. I sat in one of the large chairs, exhausted. It had been a busy night. "My God, it was so packed tonight," I started.

I was met with a wall of unresponsiveness in the form of Eric Northman. I figured he didn't want to be disturbed, so I got up and went to collect my tips. That was when it hit me, maybe Cale was right. After collecting my tips, I went through the motions of closing. I also went through the motions of leaving with Eric. My mind was reeling.

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**Whoa! Things are getting pretty crazy 'round here. Haha. I know Dahlia is pretty all over the place, and she gets more so in the next chapter, but bear with me, all will be revealed and with good reason. I will update soon, I promise. But until then, I'd love to hear from you guys!**

**-Sydney**


	12. Confrontation

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: So after a big vote of confidence from the publication of chapter one of my new story, Stiletto (which I recommend *hint hint*), I'm posting chapter twelve of this story. I'm posting on this story because I absolutely have to post something right now, and this story is still my first born and I love it too. Then I'm gonna start some laundry and get cracking on chapter two of Stiletto.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Twelve- Confrontation**

Due to the silent nature of the drive home, I had over-thought myself severely and resorted to staring out the window for the rest of the ride. When we arrived at my house, I was in a sad state.

Once I had exited the car, Eric had noticed the 'tude I was both outwardly and inwardly projecting. He came around to my side and just stood there, staring at me. I sighed and tried to push him away. He was a rock. I matched the intensity of his staring for about five minutes before I gave up. "I'm starting to think that this is purely a sexual thing," I breathed out. At that moment, I also fixed my eyes on the ground.

"Why would you think that?" he asked, lifting my chin. I studied his face from my held position, even though I wanted nothing more than to look away from him. There was something in his eyes, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Well for starters, we've had sex three times in the last twenty-four hours, and we can't keep our hands off each other," I answered. "The only reason we haven't done it more is because we took a took a two-week hiatus _because _we can't stop ourselves. You seem to always be aroused. It's just that…I feel so…out of control with you." I felt kind of stupid for unloading all of this. Why was I unloading all of this? I was pretty sure I was basing these feelings on the thoughts, or whatever they were, that I thought I had gleaned from Eric's mind. What Cale had said to me was also weighing heavily. The only thing that I knew for sure was that I didn't want to tell Eric about whatever it was I had heard from him or about my encounter with Cale. I knew I also wanted my question answered.

"Dahlia, I have no idea where this is coming from, but I can assure you that I care about you a lot. But I have to ask, why do you think that you are out of control?"

"I sucked your cock in the car!" I practically screamed at him. "You make me want to do things that I wouldn't normally think of doing." My voice shook with anger. Anger, and confusion. On the ride home, I kept thinking about our encounter on the ride to Fangtasia; my mind kept going over the images I had seen in Eric's head. The images were of various scenes Eric fantasized about. And boy, did he ever fantasize. There were also clips of what we had done together. The part that worried me the most was what I hadn't seen. _Did he always think like that? _I also kept focusing on the fact that those explicit thoughts were what was completely consuming his mind…while I was completely dressed. There were no thoughts of caring, or admiration, or appreciation, or anything along those lines…just lust and sex.

The worst part was that I was thinking about all of this through the filter that Cale had placed into my mind. It was mostly due to this filter that I was even having these conflicting thoughts in the first place. Before I had talked to Cale, I was perfectly fine with how my relationship with Eric was going. I felt hands slide over my shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with what you did in the car earlier this evening. And there is certainly nothing wrong with what we've done, or how frequently we've done it. For some reason that I cannot explain, I'm incredibly drawn to you. And it just so happens that this fact is being reflected in the form of sexual desire as of late. But like I said, I care about you." I leaned against him, immediately thinking I was reading too much into what I had seen in his head, as well as taking what Cale had said to heart. I wrapped my arms around him and began to cry. I felt him hoist me up and carry me into the house.

The next thing that I was aware of was my body making contact with my bed. I sat up, cross-legged, as Eric joined me, sitting the same way. If I hadn't been borderline depressed, I would have found Eric sitting Indian-style funny. I looked at him and he looked as if he was about to say something. He still had that same look in his eyes and that was when I placed it; it was a look of guilt. I caught his gaze, which gave me the feeling I had read him correctly. This caused me to blurt out, "Oh God, it is. Isn't it?" before getting up and going to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me.

I slid down into the same position that I had occupied in the bathroom at Fangtasia and I could hear his footsteps approach the door. I didn't even know why I locked the door; he could rip it off the hinges if he wanted to. Much to my surprise, he didn't and then I heard a sound similar to the one I made against the door, which led me to believe that we were sitting back to back, but separated by the door. Then it was silent for a couple of moments.

"You're right," Eric said suddenly. I leaned my head closer to the door to make sure that I had heard him correctly.

"What do you mean 'I'm right'?" I asked, still pretty unsure if I had indeed heard him.

"What you said, outside, about the sex…you were right."

"Once again, what _the fuck_ do you mean?" I was starting to get pissed off more than upset now.

"It was just a sexual thing. At first, I mean." That was when I stood and opened the door. By the time I pulled the door open, Eric was standing as well. I didn't look at him, opting instead to charge for the bedroom door. Once again, he was like stone. I did the only logical thing I could think of: I hit him. Which, in fact, wasn't so logical.

"Dahlia, will you at least hear me out?" I nodded; he continued, "When Sookie first brought you to Fangtasia, I honestly thought you were just some fangbanger. I was still hung up on Sookie." I raised an eyebrow, wondering how he thought that saying all this was supposed to help his case. "After Sookie told me she was back with Bill, I figured I could just have you instead."

"I'm not going to be replacement-Sookie. I'm also _not_ a fangbanger," was all that I could say to that.

"Just let me finish. That first night I slept here, while you were gone, I talked to Sookie. About me and her, and about me and you." He paused a moment and looked at me; I looked down. "She spelled it out for me. That she no longer, if ever, cared about me. She also told me that I needed to get over myself. And she told me that you like me." He lifted my chin again.

"I do. At least I thought I did." I tried to move away again; this time, he let me. Instead of leaving, I sat on my bed.

"I've done a lot of thinking, like you said that you did, and I realized that I like you too. Even though I can't define how much or why, I do."

"And what about your feelings for Sookie?" I asked.

"I know that you'd want me to, but I can't say that they are completely gone. I don't know if they ever can be, with the bond and all. What I do know is that I also have feelings for you, and that I'd be stupid to ignore them."

"Ok…" That one word was pretty much all I could find in my mind at the moment. My mind that was currently being pulled in two directions.

He walked over and took one of my hands in his. "I know that this isn't something that I say too often, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for trying to take advantage of you, and I'm sorry for lying to you." I looked into his eyes and somehow knew that he meant it. I didn't know if I was just seeing what I wanted to, or if I was doing the right thing for believing him, but I did know that I cared about him, despite all he had just told me. I decided not to think about all that right now as I put my arms around him in a hug.

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**I know that this is a short chapter too, but a lot went on, so yeah. Anywho, I always love receiving some love from my readers and stay tuned for the next update. Or, if your looking for another story to read, check out Stiletto (yes, more shameless story-pimping). Have a nice day everyone! :)**

**-Sydney**


	13. Making Up

**Drawn.**

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******A/N: Yay, the uploader finally decided to cooperate with me! I realized that I've been focusing a lot of time on Stiletto and I need to keep up with Drawn as well. I really like this story and I don't want to give it the cold shoulder. So here's chapter thirteen.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Thirteen- Making Up: Not As Hard To Do As I Thought.**

I maintained that hug for what was probably a good, solid fifteen minutes. After I had pushed the thoughts concerning Eric's honesty (and/or lack thereof) from the forefront of my mind, I was immediately consumed with feelings of guilt concerning the whole Cale-Eric's thoughts-my mind situation. After all, if he could be honest about my previous booty-call status (or still current, who knew?), then I could be at least somewhat honest about why I had jumped all over him in the first place. That was the first thought the accompanied the guilty pangs; the second thought was about something that Sookie had mentioned to me the night I was introduced to Eric. That 'something' was regarding the notion that vampires would kill us if they knew we even _sometimes_ could catch a glimpse of what they were thinking, let alone if I had had a detailed experience, complete with pictures.

Considering that I wasn't feeling particularly suicidal at the moment, I decided to tell him something that wouldn't result in my immediate death. Hopefully. I pulled back from him, thought a silent prayer, and spoke, "Since we're getting all honest here, there's something I need to tell you too. It's kind of the reason we're having this discussion in the first place." I paused a moment, waiting for some kind of reaction. What I got was a tilted head and a raised eyebrow. Sucking in a deep breath, I continued, telling him all about my encounter with Cale, including the first time at Fangtasia. "So I guess I really let his words get to me, which was why I confronted you about it." When I finished all of this, I was met with the same tilted head and raised eyebrow.

"Now this man, this _Cale_, you were involved in a relationship with him, correct?"

"Yeah, for about two years actually."

"Would you mind telling me the nature of your split?" he asked, composure never shifting from the tilted head and raised eyebrow.

"I left him, simple as that. I no longer felt the same about him." I looked at Eric. Apparently that answer suited him.

"And he would have no reason to seek you out, to harm you?"

"He _is _a jealous prick. But I don't think that his initial visit to Fangtasia was anything more than just a coincidence. He was with some fangbanger, as I mentioned."

"That you did. And his initial visit may indeed have been a coincidence, but I'm not so sure about the second time." I nodded. "If he comes into my club again, be sure to let me know." Eric pulled me into his arms, and I nodded a second time.

I must not have noticed him turn down the sheets, because the next thing I knew he had tucked me in. He had also gotten in beside me and was currently holding me tight to his body, in sort of a spooning position. "You are afraid of him, are you not?" he whispered, running a hand through my hair.

"It is part of the reason I left him," I admitted.

"You have no reason to be afraid of him anymore, my Dahlia." Eric kissed my forehead and clicked off the lamp by my bed. I took one of his hands in mine and closed my eyes.

--

I awoke the next day around 4:30. Clicking on the lamp, I stretched for a moment before getting up. I stumbled to the bathroom door, looking back at the blonde vampire in my bed before going in. I decided against a shower in favor of a bath, wanting nothing more than some solid soaking time to reflect on the past day's events. After selecting some orange-scented bubble bath, I stripped and got in. I sat there soaking for awhile; I must have dozed off somewhere in there.

I woke up to the feeling of something foreign entering the bathtub. Upon turning around suddenly, I discovered it to be Eric. He pressed a finger to his lips as he settled in behind me. I complied and leaned back against his chest. It wasn't until I felt him rest his hand on my upper thigh that I consciously remembered what he had told me last night. Now was the time for confronting. I scooted to the opposite side of the tub, which was easier said than done considering the tub wasn't very big at all. But I was pretty sure that he got the point. "Answer me one question, Northman. When we had sex for the first time, how much of that was you looking for a quick lay?"

"Honestly, Dahlia, part of that was spurred on you teasing me at Fangtasia. Like I said before, I had also done some thinking over those two weeks." I looked at him, still not buying it. "Mostly thinking about you, believe it or not." I was still staring at him, so I guess he decided to keep talking, "I couldn't get you out of my head. I still can't." After he finished, he got out of the tub and left the bathroom. I remained in the tub, mildly confused. I currently had no clue as to why, despite the fact that he had admitted to wanting to use me (and almost succeeding) for sex and as a Sookie-replacement, I wanted nothing more than to run out of the room after him. Damn that Viking!

Rather than act on impulse, I finished my bath as leisurely as I could. I even took the extra time to blow-dry my hair. Pulling on my robe, I walked into my room to find Eric watching TV. I went straight to my closet, grabbed some clothes, and went to my bathroom to get dressed. When I came back out, I walked over to Eric. "Let's go to a restaurant so we can talk," I stated plainly. I really wanted to talk this thing out with him and I was getting kind of hungry anyway, so I thought I was killing two birds with one stone. Three birds, actually, if you counted the fact that I was pretty sure I wouldn't be tempted to have sex with him in public. He nodded and it wasn't until he stood up that I noticed he was wearing different clothes. "I brought some clothes when we left Fangtasia." I guess he noticed that I had noticed. "I wanted to stay a couple of days with you, uninterrupted." He looked down at the ground.

"That's still negotiable, as long as we talk first. Now come on, I'm starving," I said, walking to the door. It was silent until we reached the car. Eric grabbed me by the arm and turned me around to face him.

"Thank you for not immediately throwing me out. Thank you for listening to what I had to say." I nodded as he opened my door. After he walked around to his side and got in, he continued, "Like apologies, thanks are not something I am used to giving. But I do mean it." I looked into his eyes as he said this, determining for good that he wasn't bullshitting me anymore. I planted a soft kiss on his lips as both a 'you're welcome' and as an acceptance to his apology. He smiled, and I was pretty sure he understood the meaning of the kiss.

After driving around in silence for a bit, we ended up at an Outback Steakhouse. After ordering a salad, I figured that now was as good a time as any to start talking. I also figured that I'd start where he had left off in the car earlier. "Eric, now I may have not thrown you out, and I may have listened to you, and I know that I kissed you earlier," _Wow, this really wasn't helping my 'I'm still mad at you' speech_, "but that doesn't mean that I want to resume our relationship, or whatever it was, where we left off."

"It was…is a relationship, Dahlia," he corrected. "It may not have had the most conventional start, but it is a relationship." I was honestly speechless. After admitting his wrongs _and_ defining us as being in a relationship, I was seriously starting to reconsider my whole 'I'm sure I won't want to fuck him in public' mantra. _What the hell? Keep it together, Dahlia._ Still not knowing what to say, but knowing that sex wasn't going to solve anything at the moment, I resolved to take a bite of my salad instead.

Thank God it only took me until I finished chewing to compose a thought. I figured if I stalled any longer, I might have hurt his feelings. "You want a relationship with me," was what I managed to squeak out. Eric suppressed a laugh and nodded. I was pretty sure I was practically beaming at this point. "I still trust you Eric. When I look in your eyes, I know you're not feeding me bullshit. Don't do anything to break that trust for good," I said seriously.

"I won't," he responded, equally as serious. I reached across the table and stroked the back of his hand. This was when the waitress returned to take our order. I ordered the grilled chicken and Eric ordered another TruBlood, type B positive. I smiled, tallying some points for him on the theoretical scoreboard, taking his order as a step in the right direction. I really was starting to read too much into all things concerning Eric.

We laughed a little and chatted some while waiting for my food, since the waitress had brought Eric his second blood already. The food had been delivered, and we continued our talking while I ate and Eric had another blood. When we had finished, Eric paid the check. As we were walking out to the car, I couldn't help but think that this felt like a first date all over again. Only this time, I felt like we were _both_ trying in earnest.

On the drive home I made a conscious decision to reward Eric for his chivalry earlier in the restaurant. Even if it wasn't, I considered it pretty damn chivalrous of him to admit his wrongs and clarify our situation as a relationship. At that particular moment I didn't really give a shit if he was saying those things because he thought I wanted to hear them. A big part of me refused to believe that he was trying to appease me again. For now, that particular moment was dedicated to rewarding Eric with the same act that I was yelling at him about, a little more than twelve hours ago.

---

When we arrived back at Sookie's house, Eric was the first to speak. "I should buy you dinner more often." He had that trademark smirk on his face, and I had the feeling things were starting to get back to where they were. Only now we had a healthy dose of honesty (I hoped). I pushed him in the stomach, which caused him to laugh, and I walked up the stairs and onto the porch. As I unlocked the door, Eric was next to me again.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" I asked, opening the door. Eric laughed again, sliding an arm around my waist. I just shook my head and led him into the kitchen. "TruBlood?" I asked; he nodded. I pulled a bottle for him and a soda for myself. When we got upstairs I shucked the shoes and coat I was wearing and flopped on the couch. I flipped on the TV as Eric walked over and I moved my feet so he had room to sit. Once he sat down however, I put my lower legs back, over his lap. He rested his hand on my knee and turned to look at me.

"So, Dahlia, have you put anymore thought into me staying with you for a couple days?" he asked as he ran his thumb down my shinbone.

"Yeah. I don't think it would be so terrible if you did," I responded, swinging my legs off of him. He took the hint and scooted closer to me.

"I'm glad you think so." He pulled my legs up again so that my thighs were over his, but I was sitting next to him still. I was still flipping channels as I rested my head on his shoulder. "But," he continued, "it would only be not-so-terrible?"

I sat back up. "You are still in the doghouse, Mr. Northman," I said, emphasized with a poke in the chest.

"But Dahlia, is that not what they intended make-up sex for?" he purred, running a hand down my spine. I placed both my hands on his chest in an effort to push him away. That worked up until the point I became re-aware of how spectacular his chest felt. _Ah, hell!_ I thought.

Rather than using my hands to push him away, I used them instead to grab a hold of his shirt. I twisted the knit fabric between my fingers and pulled him to me. Suddenly, I became acutely aware of his thoughts on the current situation. They were, of course, lusty and I decided that I'd rather be in the moment, so I put up my strongest shield. I smiled to myself as Eric reached around me and lifted me by my ass so that I was straddling him. My tight skirt prevented this from happening completely, so Eric pushed it up higher on my thighs. Once I was granted a greater range of motion, I settled on Eric's now-very-prominent bulge. I started to move against him and he immediately captured my lips in a bruising kiss.

I didn't have time to react as Eric pushed me onto my back while he continued to assault my lips. I gasped a little at the sudden change of position, and Eric slipped his tongue into my now-open mouth. Making a sigh of contentment, I told my inhibitions where to go and focused on the task at hand. I pulled at the bottom of his shirt and we broke contact only long enough for me to pull it off. Then, we were kissing again. Eric pushed my skirt up around my waist and ripped my thong off. I was going to have to start buying packs of those things if he kept destroying them. He threw the material on the floor and stood up to work on his pants. That was when I realized that my couch was actually pretty damn uncomfortable.

Eric's pants were down around his ankles when I looked at him and said, "Bed." With that one word, Eric kicked off his pants and carried me to my bed. He set me down on my feet next to the bed, where he pulled down my skirt and pulled my blouse over my head. I returned the favor by making quick work of his boxers. He picked me up and deposited me on the bed. I giggled a little when I bounced as I hit the mattress; Eric joined me a quick moment later. Reaching behind me, he unhooked my bra, pulled it off, and threw it somewhere. He slid up next to me, hovering almost, and began kissing my shoulders and working down. While this was going on, the little voice inside my head (my conscience, I suppose) started to speak up again. It was telling me that fucking Eric probably wasn't the best decision at the moment. I wrote my conscience's advice as being complete BS and filed the whole situation under make-up sex. That's why there was such a thing as make-up sex, right? So people could make-up when there was an argument or a disagreement. Right?…whatever, as long as I was able to justify it. I was almost done with said rationalization as Eric's tongue and mouth completed its journey down my body, ending up between my legs. After that, the situation could consider itself rationalized.

It would be really hard to describe how good his tongue felt. What it boiled down to was that a millennium's worth of practice is a beautiful thing. Within, like, a minute I was writhing around on the bed. A couple of minutes later, he scooted up a bit, replacing his tongue with his fingers. I was moaning uncontrollably, which caused me to shut my eyes tight, but I was about 99.9 percent sure there was a smirk plastered on his face.

My eyes opened when I realized that Eric wasn't touching me anymore. He was above me, waiting for me to open my eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

I stared at him, blankly. "Eric, are you honestly picking _right now_ to be level-headed? You're kinda killing the concept of make-up sex, hun."

"I just want to make sure that I'm not taking advantage of you or anything," he said, staring back at me.

"If I didn't want this, I would've stopped you before your pants hit the floor," I remarked, to which he smiled. "Now please get in me before I do decide to change my mind." He actually laughed before repositioning himself. He entered me pretty slowly, which caused my eyes to screw shut as I moaned again. Once Eric was completely in, he stopped. All this stop-starting was starting to piss me off. But at least he was in me now, so I was pretty sure this wasn't more level-headedness. I opened my eyes again.

"Good," he commented, "now keep them open. I want you to look at me."

"Fine," I countered, "I am going to stare you down until you make me come." I paired that sentence with what I thought was a smoldering look. Apparently it translated as such, because Eric simply smirked and resumed movement. As good as it felt and as much as I wanted to shut my eyes and scream his name, I kept my eyes focused on him for the entire experience.

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**Gee, I just love writing for Dahlia lol. We still have a few more chapters to go here, and I haven't decided if I want to make the finale one chapter or not. We shall see. Until then, I'd love to hear from you guys :)**

**-Sydney**


	14. Ignorance

**Drawn.****A/N: Hey ya'll haha. I haven't gotten much of anything done since I arrived in Savannah...there's just not enough time in the day! But, I already had this written, so I figured I could post it, cause I love you guys that much. There will be more work on Stiletto this weekend hopefully, but I'm kinda suffering from some writer's block, which might be related to homesickness as of late. Savannah is great, but it's way different than home. So enough of my rambling, here's your chapter.**

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Chapter Fourteen- Ignorance: Not Always Bliss

Around eight in the morning, I was sitting up in my bed. Eric was out like a light. He was a little scary-looking, because he literally looked like a corpse, but I was used to it by now. I swung my legs over the side of my bed, stood up, and stretched out. My muscles were a little sore, but nothing that a good, hot shower wouldn't fix.

Once I moseyed into my bathroom, I took a moment to analyze my body in the mirror. First, I closed the door and flipped on the vanity lights. Turning to the side, I noticed a long scratch running down my side, but a little more toward my back. I ran my finger down it; it stung a little, but nothing major. I thought to myself a moment, trying to think of when it happened, and I narrowed it down to sometime between rounds three and four, both of which I was on top for. Upon further examination, I also realized that there were some nice sized handprint-shaped bruises on my hips where Eric had gripped them, also during rounds three and four, I'd imagine. I wondered when the hell I'd started bruising this easily. I probably always had, I just never noticed it because Cale was no where near as aggressive as Eric was. While Cale projected the role of scary vampire really well, not to mention the fact that he was an ass most of the time, he was actually quite the sensitive kitten in bed. I'm sure I'd be dead already if I had vocalized that thought, but thinking it never did any harm. After assessing that the bruises didn't really hurt either, I turned the shower on.

I made my shower a quick one, after I decided that a shower by myself paled in comparison to the one I had shared with Eric a couple days ago. After hopping out of the shower, I grabbed a towel and dried off. I went out into the main part of my room, in search of something to wear once again. One trip to my dresser and some rummaging around later, I was clothed in a pair of Soffe shorts and the t-shirt that Eric had been wearing. I was really starting to get accustomed to the way his clothes smelled and felt, and I was starting to get happier that I had agreed to let him stay here a couple of days.

I went downstairs, figuring everyone else in the house would be in full swing. I was right and I found both Sookie and Amelia in the kitchen, making breakfast. I smiled pretty big when the smell of bacon hit my nose. "You know you guys are like the best housemates ever," I said. I smiled, picking up a piece of super-crispy bacon. After I finished chewing, I spoke again, "Need help with anything?"

"Nope. We're pretty much almost done," replied Sookie.

"Yeah, we figured you'd be down later," added Amelia, waggling her eyebrows.

"Ha ha, very funny," I laughed a little, even though the memory of the reason we ended up having sex was still pretty fresh in my mind. I took the plate of breakfast that Sookie handed me and sat at the table. After taking a couple of bites of scrambled egg, I decided to tell them everything. They'd do the same, if they were in my position. "There was kind of a…snag in my relationship with Eric last night," I said. That was the only way I could think to describe it, other than just spilling it all out in one convoluted, run-on sentence. When I looked up from my plate, both Amelia and Sookie's attention was focused on me. In addition to their attention, Sookie had a knowing-look on her face.

"Sookie, do you know something?" I asked her straight up, rather than look in her head.

"We talked…when he first slept here. He said he was going to stop using you. Ugh…I could kill him!" Sookie replied, slamming her fork down on the table, quite forcefully.

"It's ok, Sook. He said that you guys had talked. He also said that he's stopped using me, he said he stopped before we slept together." I looked at Sookie, as if to reassure her that it was ok.

"Oh he did? And you believe him?"

"I do. The whole reason we even had an argument is because I saw Cale again at Fangtasia."

"That means he probably wouldn't have told you that he was trying to use you. All the more reason to watch ou--" I knew Sookie's brain had made the connection. "Cale, your ex? He was at Fangtasia again?"

Amelia sat there, fully engrossed in the conversation, but also fully confused. "Yeah, Cale my ex. Two nights ago he just strolled all up to the bar while I was working."

"You mean he approached you?" Sookie interrupted.

"Yeah. That ass has some serious nerve. He even knew that I was with Eric, or whatever." Amelia's eyes bugged slightly; I could tell she had caught on. "Yeah, and he even, and I quote, 'wanted to give me a chance to be with him again'." I rolled my eyes.

"I must be missing something. How did this lead to your argument with Eric?" asked Amelia.

"Well, after I told Cale to fuck off and that I was seeing someone, he decided to be oh-so-cavalier and tell me that I was basically Eric's fuck-buddy. For some reason, I believed him. Mostly because I had done exactly what he was telling me were 'signs' or whatever and that I had…and some other stuff." I looked down at the floor.

I knew Sookie wasn't buying it. "What else happened, Dahlia?"

At that moment, I figured that if I couldn't tell Sookie and Amelia what I'd seen, I couldn't tell anyone. Out of all the people that I knew, no one would understand it better than Sookie and Amelia, especially Sookie. "Uh, I kinda….might have…read Eric's mind?" It was suddenly so quiet in that kitchen you could have heard a pin drop. As quiet as it was, Sookie didn't seem anywhere near as surprised as Amelia.

"I figured that might have something to do with it. You're a very accomplished telepath. Is this the first time you've been able to read a vampire?" I shook my head, I wasn't ready to divulge any more than that. "Cale?" she asked; I nodded.

"Was it like complete sentences?" she asked.

"Not exactly. It was more like pictures. _Very_ detailed images." I moved my eyebrows and they got the idea. I really didn't feel like vocalizing what I had seen.

"And did you tell Eric?" both Sookie and Amelia spoke.

"Oh God no. I did tell him about Cale being at Fangtasia, both times."

"And?"

"He told me that I didn't have to worry about Cale if he came in again."

"So all is well and good?" asked Amelia.

"Yup."

"So then I have to ask-- those noises I heard last night were you guys arguing?" Amelia waggled her eyebrows. I blushed about six shades of red. Amelia just shook her head, "I thought so."

I smiled sheepishly, "You can't blame a girl for make-up sex." Both Sookie and Amelia burst out laughing and I rolled my eyes. We resumed eating and when everyone finished, I got up and cleared the table.

"Do you guys want to do a little shopping today? We could hit Merlotte's for lunch 'cause I'm not due in until 2," said Sookie as I was rinsing the dishes. Shopping sounded pretty good. As far as I was concerned, nothing complimented make-up sex and girl talk better than retail therapy.

"Sounds good," Amelia replied and I nodded in agreement. "We'll meet back down here in like 30 minutes or so?" she asked and we all murmured our agreement. Amelia and I headed upstairs, but parted at her door. After I was in my room, I closed the door and looked at Eric for a moment. I let my shield down slowly and focused. I saw a picture of myself, but I wasn't bent over any surface or anything. I was dressed in the outfit I was wearing yesterday when we went to Outback. Eric was simply thinking of me. I smiled wide as I went to my closet, grabbing a pair of jeans and a comfy tank top. I set them on my bed as I rummaged for a bra.

After getting dressed, I kissed Eric's cheek and met the girls downstairs. Amelia offered to drive, and Sookie took her car since she had to work. We decided to drive into Shreveport since it was still pretty early in the day. After finding a little strip of stores, we parked and went inside a store that sold mostly flirty little dresses. We combed the entire store; I'm pretty sure we tried on everything they stocked between the three of us.

We settled on two dresses a piece. One of Sookie's was a pink jersey-knit dress, and the other was a yellow spaghetti-strapped sundress. Amelia's were two blue numbers; one was a strapless party dress in a lighter blue, and the other was a tank top dress in more of a cerulean. Both of mine were a vintage 40's style; one was light purple with lace trim, the other was a deep, forest green that was similar with the lace, but was a little more on the slinkier side. I figured it'd be something to wear to Fangtasia. Then we paid and left for Merlotte's.

After we were done shopping, we arrived at Merlotte's around 12:30pm. We sat at a corner booth and a man, who I assumed was Sookie's boss, Sam, came to our table. "How are you guys doing today?" he asked, and we all smiled at him. Sookie introduced me to him, and we ordered our lunches and Sam left us to place them.

"I like this place," I commented. Sookie smiled, and I could tell she took a lot of pride in her job. I also knew that Amelia had worked from time to time, and it had become more frequent since Arlene was calling in "sick". We all knew that she was uncomfortable about the shifters, going so far as to quit during the initial reveal. According to Sookie, Arlene had to seriously swallow her pride and beg Sam for her job back, once she realized that this was a small town and her options were limited. That, and her skill set was equally as limited.

We had all finished our meals and Amelia and I were polishing off a basket of fries while Sookie went to change. While Sookie was in the back, Sam walked up to our table again. "I'm really sorry about this, but Holly's son isn't feeling well. She said she was going to wait with him until the babysitter got there and then she'd come back. Is there any way that you can stay until then, Amelia?"

"Sure, no problem."

Sam sighed, relieved, "That's great. Now I just have to call Terry and ask if he can bartend. I just have so much paperwork to catch up on since I've been gone with my mom. I just feel bad because Terry has been here every night this week."

"Hey Sam, I know you don't know me that well, but I have a lot of bartending experience. I can stay too, if that's alright."

"Oh God, Dahlia, that's more than alright. Let me just grab you and Amelia some shirts," Sam replied and disappeared in the back. Sookie came out shortly after, tying her apron on.

"What was that all about? Sam practically ran me over on his way to the back."

"No biggie, Sam just asked if Amelia could fill in for Holly and he also needed to catch up on some paperwork, so I offered to fill in as bartender," I answered.

"Oh, awesome. The bar is pretty straightforward. If you can work the one at Fangtasia, than ours should be a breeze." She smiled and walked to the bar as Sam came back out. He handed me and Amelia t-shirts and we went to the back and changed. When we came back out, Amelia grabbed an apron and I went to the bar. Sookie was right, this bar was simpler than Fangtasia's.

The afternoon shift was pretty peaceful, although I had to ask Sookie what to do about Jane Bodehouse who had plopped her alcoholic self down at the bar around 4pm. An hour and a half later, I called her son and the bar was empty for a little while, and I was mostly making drinks for Sookie and Amelia to serve. There was little activity until 6-ish, when Arlene came rolling in the front door, followed by a small group of people who were obviously FOTS. It was mildly reminiscent of Cruella DeVille and her cronies, except in this case, Cruella was sporting a scary shade of red hair. I set down the rag I was cleaning with, and Sookie walked over next to me.

"I thought she wasn't supposed to bring those bigoted asses here anymore," she said to Sam as he walked out from the back.

"She's really not, but if they don't stir up trouble, there's no harm in them spending their money here," Sam shrugged and went into the kitchen. I shrugged as well and looked at Sookie, who shook her head. We watched Arlene wiggle her way to the back while I filled a couple of drink orders. As I was handing the last one off to Amelia, Arlene approached where Sookie and I were standing.

"So who's this, Sookie? Another one of your vampire-fucking friends?" Arlene spat. I could tell from Sookie's head that she was resisting the urge to smack Arlene. Honestly, so was I. I was getting kind of tired of people calling me a fangbanger. I could hear it from some of the patrons once they had found out that I was a friend of Sookie and Amelia.

Being as pissed as I was, I stepped in front of Sookie. "My name is Dahlia, and I'd appreciate it if you approached me if you wanted to know that. And yes, I am a friend of Sookie's."

"Ok, fine, Dahlia. So you're her friend. But you never denied fucking dead guys," replied Arlene.

"That's right, I didn't. Maybe if you tried it, you wouldn't be so uptight." At that, Arlene huffed and went to wait on her cronies. I then realized that Sam had come out of the kitchen. Sookie just smiled at me and went to check on her tables.

"Arlene giving you a hard time?" Sam inquired, a knowing smile on his face.

"You heard?"

"Yeah. You handled her well."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Now I just wanted to let you know that I finished the bulk of my paperwork and Holly just got back, so you and Amelia can leave with Sookie at 8." I nodded. "So when 8 rolls around, just come back into my office so I can get your information to get you your check." I nodded again, and Sam went back to the back. The clock turned to 8 in what seemed like no time at all. Customers just seemed to be coming and going. However, I did seem to notice that Cruella's cronies managed to hang around longer than they needed to swill beer and stuff their faces with chicken baskets.

I saw Sookie start to head towards the back, so Amelia and I followed suit. We grabbed our belongings, and Sam handed me a piece of paper to write my info down on. He tucked it into a drawer in his desk, which he locked, and then walked us out to the front of the restaurant. We smiled and said our goodbyes, and then Sam returned to his office for a moment, since it seemed that no one was interested in anything other than beer, which Holly and Arlene could manage. As we were walking out the front door, I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Cruella's table. No one seemed to be moving. I learned a few moments later that they were just waiting for us to leave first.

The first redneck wobbled his way through the door as we were almost to the cars. They were clearly not so good with the 'element of surprise' thing. He was followed by three more people, who were equally as redneck-y. "Leaving so soon? I thought vampires had to be in by sunup. It's only 8'oclock," slurred the redneck who had come outside first. I was pretty sure that he was referring to me, because Sookie had said they were regulars and I imagined they knew Sookie and Amelia were human. That, and I'm pretty pale by human standards. And this guy was an idiot, let's not neglect that fact.

"I don't know what you're talking about, there's no vampires here," Amelia responded, attempting to diffuse a possibly volatile situation.

"You're lying. The…redhead…she's a vamp," said one of the three who came out second. He was clearly more drunk than the first guy. I couldn't fight the urge any longer and I rolled my eyes. First I was a fangbanger, and now I was a vampire. Could these people get any more idiotic?

My answer to that question came in the form of a thrown beer bottle. It landed about a foot away from the car, shattered, and covered Amelia's tires and back bumper with beer. I also noted that it was cheap beer. Figures. At this point in the confrontation, Arlene had poked her nasty head out the door. No points awarded to her though, because apparently she wasn't aware that a missing waitress might alert Sam. Which it did.

Why we didn't just get in our cars and drive off, I don't know. Might have been from the shock of their utter stupidity. Might have been us just getting a little pissed off at the things they were saying while we were working. Whispering wasn't their forte either. Either way, Sam was outside in the next minute, a baseball bat in hand. "Arlene, you get your friends to go home or you're out of a job." With that, she flipped and started shooing her cronies away. That was the point where we got into our cars. Sookie waved at Sam, and we let the cronies leave before we did.

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**So I hope that little confrontation wasn't too random. Once again, any comments, questions, or concerns...please let me know. Or ways to adjust to being away from home, those would be awesome too. Until next time, folks.**

**-Sydney**


	15. Crowdpleaser

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: Hello all! For those of you who aren't reading Stiletto (which you totes should be *hint hint*), I am no longer in Savannah for college (I'm home and going to a local state college, I want to spend less money and redeem my IB credits...plus I wanna try some other stuff out to see what I really wanna major in), so until the spring semester starts, I'm all yours for writing. I will of course write while I'm in school, but until then I have a lot of free time to write. Anywho, some announcements: this story with most likely conclude at chapter 18, possibly 19. I've decided to make Stiletto a running story until it jumps the shark, so to speak. I've also been concocting some E/S one-shots and potentially an E/OC story, so if you're a fan of my writing style, those are in the works. Other than that, I'm all ears to story suggestions from you guys, for the fans of my style again. Without further ado, here's chapter 15, one of my favorites.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Fifteen- Crowdpleaser**

It wasn't until we pulled up in front of Sookie's house that I realized that I hadn't given Eric any indication of where I would be, because I figured I'd be back well before sundown. That was also when it occurred to me that I was caring way too much about a guy who had already lied to me. I mean, he had made amends, but that didn't mean I needed to leave him a detailed itinerary or anything like that. Besides, Bill was there too, so it wasn't like he was alone. Sookie looked over at me, "I left a message for Bill to tell Eric where you were in case he was wondering." I nodded. I guess my mental shield was still down from the confrontation at Merlotte's.

We entered the house to see Eric, Bill, and Tray watching football. Sookie, Amelia, and I exchanged a look and burst out laughing. "I guess we'll just uh, leave you guys to your game," I managed before succumbing to another fit of laughter. I walked over to where Eric was sitting and kissed him on the cheek, then I headed to my room to change and drop off my shopping bags. Both Amelia and Sookie followed suit.

"That might be the most amusing thing I've seen in awhile," Amelia stated as we were walking upstairs.

"Yeah. Just proves that guys are still guys whether they are undead, were, or otherwise," I replied. We both shared another laugh before going into our respective rooms. Throwing my shopping bag on my bed, I noticed that the clothes from last night had made their way into my hamper, and I added my Merlotte's shirt. I was in the process of putting my tank top back on when my door opened. Eric strolled in, a mischievous look on his face due to finding me half-dressed. I smiled and pulled my shirt the rest of the way on.

"Doing some male-bonding downstairs?" I asked smartly.

"If that's what you want to call it. I was all ready to do some more Dahlia-bonding upstairs, but Bill had told me that you were filling in at the shifter's place," he responded, trying to genuinely look hurt.

"Aww, poor baby. We went shopping and then to lunch at Merlotte's because Sookie had to work at two, but then Sam was short a waitress and a bartender, so Amelia and I stayed to help." I smiled at him, "But we could practice some us-bonding now if you'd like."

"No," he responded. I raised an eyebrow. "Now I want to take you out. Bill, Trey, and I decided that we were going to take you ladies out dancing."

"You don't have to be at Fangtasia or anything?" I asked.

"Pam can handle the club. Besides, I said I wanted to spend a couple days with you _uninterrupted_," he replied, practically whispering the last word. He closed the distance between us and pulled me into a hug. "Now Sookie said something about you girls buying dresses today, so put one on and I'll be downstairs." And with that, he kissed me quickly on the lips and was out the door. I knew him leaving was sheer force of will, because from the hug-position I could tell he was ready for action, as usual. Shaking my head, I moved over to my shopping bag on the bed and pulled out the slinkier dress. I clipped off the tags, left it on my bed, and grabbed a quick shower. After my shower, I dried my hair and slid on the dress, applied some makeup, and slid on some black pumps. I was inwardly happy because of the fact that mo matter how high the heels I wore were, Eric would still be considerably taller. Grabbing my purse, I headed downstairs.

As long as I thought I was taking to get ready, Sookie wasn't present when I came downstairs to join the group. We only had to wait a few minutes for her, however, and soon we were all out the door. Each couple took their own car, and then we were off to a small dance joint in Shreveport. Once there, we unloaded from our cars and headed towards the door. It wasn't a large establishment, but it was apparently large enough to warrant a bouncer-- a bouncer who Tray apparently knew. I leaned into Eric, "It must me a Were thing." He laughed and took my hand in his as we entered the club. As we cleared the door, my senses were immediately dulled by the thumping of base from the club's sound system. It was a sound I was starting to get used to from being at Fangtasia. I looked up at Eric who seemed to be unfazed by the noise, either from being vampire or owning a nightclub. Who knew?

When we approached the bar, Eric shot me a look that was partnered by that damn smirk of his. I hoisted myself onto a stool so that my back was facing the bar, stuck my tongue out at him, and spun around. The bar was pretty crowded and I figured it would be a little bit before I could get a drink, so I scanned the crowd to see where Sookie and Amelia were. Sookie and Bill were occupying a table, which was working out better for them on the drink front, and Amelia and Tray were dancing. Out of the two options, dancing looked like more fun. I slid off of the barstool and grabbed Eric's hand, much like I had done the first time at Fangtasia. I could tell that he was slightly confused by our change of plans, but he had decided to go along with it. We stopped in the middle part of the dance floor, which was somewhat adjacent to where Amelia and Tray were dancing. Once I had stopped moving, Eric placed two hands on my hips and pulled me back toward him, his mouth against my neck. My first thought was that he was going to bite me; turned out he had something to say. "I'm glad we got away from that bar, otherwise we might have put on a show," he whispered.

"So now it's all bars?

"Bars, tables-- flat surfaces in general, really."

"And see, I thought the one at Fangtasia was special."

"Believe me, it is. And for the record, I will have you on it. But like I told you earlier, I was really looking forward to that bonding earlier."

"Which I so kindly offered, if you remember. But you wanted to take me dancing. So here we are." I turned to face him, smiling.

"And dance we will. Besides, I would have gladly traded that bonding for the sight of you in that dress," he replied, running his hands over the clingy fabric on my body to punctuate his statement. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled him down a little as I raised up to kiss him. I then turned around, which he responded to by pulling me tightly against him again. Turning an ear to the music, I noticed that it was not really a song, but more like a continuous base beat with some synth and other things thrown in. It was the kind of music that was great for club dancing. I started to move my hips against Eric when I noticed that I was getting all kinds of looks from guys in our vicinity. Whether it was the fact that they thought I was a vampire, or that I was with a vampire, or that they just thought I was pretty, the fact that I could read their thoughts loud and clear was moderately unsettling. It was a pretty even three-way split on who thought what-- the ones who thought I was a vampire (who I deemed equally as stupid at the FOTS guys from earlier) were split between being intrigued and wondering why I was here and not at the 'vamp joint a couple streets over'. That group also noticed the vampire I was with was the same one who owned said 'vamp joint', which added more questions to their repertoire. Those who acknowledged that I was with a vampire were thinking some interesting things about what I was doing, both in public and in private, with him. They were my least favorite bunch, as the words 'slut' and 'fangbanger' were common amongst them. Lastly, the guys who merely thought I was pretty were mostly oblivious to the fact that I had a big, strapping _vampire_ attached to my waist. Aside from the ones who were just looking, there was a group of third-group members seated at a large table. A non-telepath could tell that they were friends. As I continued to listen in on their mental conversation, I started to pick up on some pieces of their actual conversation that they were thinking about. This group was slowly inching their way to being more vulgar than the group that thought I was a fang-banging slut. They were moving into creepy gang-rapist territory as they thought about different scenarios for cornering me in the parking lot. I'm not going to say that it wasn't deeply disturbing, but I still felt safe because Eric was with me.

As I was contemplating their disgusting thoughts, one of them felt the need to come over to where Eric and I were dancing. I saw him before Eric did, and I turned around to face Eric and his arms slid around me more completely. Honestly, I did like dancing with Eric and I really didn't want to let these perverts ruin my night. I could hear that he finally realized that I was with a vampire. He also apparently went and told the rest of his creepy friends, because their thoughts echoed his, and I saw them leaving out of the corner of my eye. As I looked back up at Eric, I noticed that he was watching the same group leave. Placing a hand on his cheek, I directed his attention back to me-- if I wasn't going to let those guys bother me, I wasn't going to let them bother Eric either. "Let's get a drink," I offered and we returned to the bar. We got our drinks and I noticed that Eric was looking at me funny.

"You're tense. What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's too loud in here," I shouted, the double meaning of my sentence apparently not lost on my vampire.

"Let's go outside and talk then," he suggested. I figured since those guys had left that there was no harm in it, so I followed Eric outside. He leaned against his car, sticking his hands into his pockets, waiting for me to speak.

"Those guys--I know you saw them--they were thinking some horrible things about cornering me in this parking lot. The one guy who walked up saw you and told his friends. That's when they left."

"Do you want to head home then?" he asked, pulling the driver's side door open. I nodded; that was when someone stumbled up to us. I recognized him as one of the would-be gang rapists, and it was then that I realized that he hadn't been with the group when they left. I also realized that Eric wasn't paying attention, as he was rummaging for something in his car. As the guy grabbed my arm, I found my voice and called for Eric. At vampire speed, Eric took a hold of the guy, bit him, and snapped his arm. As the guy ran off, holding his dangling limb, I caught one sentence from his head.

_Cale is going to fucking kill me._

Typical Cale, sending someone else to do the work, and it was even fucking nighttime and he couldn't do it. I looked at Eric, who had that guy's blood dripping down his chin. He rubbed it off with the back of his hand, and walked up to me. He looked a little crazed, but I could tell that he was getting himself under control. As he pulled me into his arms, I felt safe again.

"Eric," I murmured into his chest, "that guy was sent here by Cale." Eric stiffened and I could tell that his blood-lusty rage had returned. I knew that he wanted to confront Cale, and I also knew that he had a feeling that Cale was off somewhere, watching. I was looking around the parking lot when I felt myself being lifted by Eric. I focused my attention on him as he pulled the driver seat down and laid me down on the bench seat in the back. Sitting up a little bit, I saw him look around the parking lot as I had done before getting in, closing and locking the door. After folding himself into the backseat, which I should mention was no easy feat, he wasted no time and pushed up the bottom of my dress. I reached up and undid Eric's pants and attempted to push them off, but only getting them over his ass. He finished the task as I slid my panties off, throwing them in the front seat. I unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off before discarding my own dress and bra. Eric slid his large hands under my back, lifting me up before he buried himself inside me.

As soon as he was in me completely, his lips found mine. He ran his tongue along my bottom lip and I easily parted my lips and let him in, our tongues mingling. As he moved in and out, I was trying really hard not to scream my satisfaction, seeing as we were in public and all. "Scream for me, Dahlia. I want to hear you," Eric growled. Obviously he had noticed my struggle. I shook my head furiously, which only resulted in him picking up his pace, penetrating me deeper than I ever thought possible. It felt so good that I had no choice but to surrender, and I starting screaming his name-- and other obscenities-- for all I was worth. Through my half-lidded eyes I could see him smirking proudly, and a few thrusts later I was in the throes of one of the longest, most intense orgasms I had ever experienced. Apparently so was Eric, as he made a deep, scary noise before biting me on the breast.

After licking the bite mark, Eric withdrew from me and adjusted us so that I was lying on top of him. He ran his fingers through my hair while I was tracing circles on his beautiful chest. "I hope Cale was around to hear _that_," he commented, placing his lips on my neck, gently licking and sucking. I smiled at him, a little nervously, knowing that he had.

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**Um, not much to say down here, so I'll keep it brief. Thanks for reading, I love you guys, and ya'll know where the green button lives ;)**

**-Sydney**


	16. Interruption

**Drawn.**

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**A/N: I know it's been like forever since I've updated this story and, truth be told, I've been sitting on this chapter for quite some time now (it actually used to be two shorter chapters). So this is dedicated to the people who are still keeping up with this little story, and I know you're out there-- I see the stats :). I just wanted to let you guys know that I appreciate it and I'm currently working on the next (and I think it might the concluding) chapter. It'll be out the nanosecond that I finish it. And it's looking like a good one.**

**That being said, I really like this chapter too, and I hope you guys do as well :)**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Sixteen- Interruption**

We spent the next ten minutes or so looking for clothes and putting ourselves back together somewhat. I was able to crawl into the front seat half-dressed as the windows were slightly tinted and there wasn't a damn soul in the parking lot. Eric, on the other hand, was a full foot taller than me, so he put his pants back on and got out and got back in the front. I had just pressed send as Eric started the car, sending Sookie a text saying that we were leaving. Pulling down the visor, I looked at my appearance in the little mirror-- I looked as disheveled as one usually does post-coitus in the backseat of a car. Not that I was complaining-- after all, Eric was the living embodiment of a sex god. I let out a contented sigh as I spotted my panties on the floor, grabbing them and pulling them on. After awhile, I found myself playing with the buttons on Eric's dress shirt that was currently on me. It had proved to be too difficult to get my dress back on, so I put his shirt on instead. I felt a hand slide over my thigh, and I looked up at Eric. "Are you ok?" he asked. He was wondering if I was shocked by the guy Cale had sent or the fact that he had abruptly taken me in the backseat. I nodded and smiled at him; I wasn't shocked by either of those things, but rather by the fact that Cale had stood back and watched the whole ordeal, including my backseat romp with Eric. He took my hand, intertwining our fingers, and held it for the rest of the ride home.

Eric parked in front of Sookie's house and quickly moved around the car, lifting me up and pulling me out. After I was set on my feet, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. "What was that for?" he asked, a little bewildered.

"For being my knight in shining armor," I responded, gushing just a little bit. "And since when do I have to have a reason to kiss you?" I placed my hands on my hips, but I couldn't help smiling.

Eric started laughing, "You don't. And since when am I your knight and not your Viking?"

"Since you saved my ass from getting kidnapped and potentially raped."

"And a Viking wouldn't?"

"I thought they were the ones who did the kidnapping and plundering," I stated flatly.

"Oh you do?" he gave me a lopsided grin and hoisted me up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, as a tapped him on the back. With my fist. Ok, so it wasn't a tap so much as a hit.

"Fucking you, Viking style," he responded, the same way he would inquire about the weather or the news. I wanted to laugh for some reason, but I knew he was quite serious so I did the next thing I could think of, I started to wiggle. This attempt at escape was met with a firm slap on my ass. A slap that I had to admit that I kind of liked? Ok, so maybe going along with this Viking-style fucking wouldn't be so bad. What's that expression? You can't rape the willing? _Yeah I believe that's the one_, I thought deviously. Besides, I didn't think he was actually going to rape me, just try and scare me a little.

"You know I didn't mean what I said, right?" I asked.

"Yeah I do, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to do what _I_ said." And with that, he was back into character.

When I looked back down at the ground again, I noticed that we were at the front door. I handed Eric my key (I knew that it was inconsequential, but I knew Sookie'd be pissed if we destroyed her door in what was essentially foreplay), which he took, not for one second abandoning his role of the Viking with his conquest. Honestly, I didn't mind being carried one bit. I was still an independent woman and all, but my feet were seriously killing me from those damn pumps. That, and a little role-playing never hurt anyone.

I did my best to keep quiet as we crossed the first floor to the stairs, and the whole rest of the trip upstairs and into my room. Then we were in my room. Glancing at my clock, I noted that it was 3am-- we still had a little time to play. Eric kicked my door open, which was already slightly ajar, so I was pretty sure he didn't do any real damage. He then threw me on my bed, in the middle. This was followed by him shucking his shoes and pants, then crawling on the bed with me. Eric grabbed hold of the dress shirt, ripping it open, buttons flying all over. He pushed it off of me, throwing it somewhere, and moved down to rip my panties off. I can't lie, it was kinda hot. Eric dipped his head and started licking my nipples, which caused me to giggle. Yep, I freaking giggled. Nothing kills a pseudo-assault scenario faster than a giggle. Eric paused and looked at me, put a hand over my mouth, and resumed what he was doing.

I was off in my own little world, finding immense pleasure in letting Eric do whatever he wanted, when I swore I heard something ringing. I was pretty sure it was a cell phone, but not mine. "Err sll phrn," was what came out, as my mouth was still obstructed. Eric removed his hand. "Your cell phone," I repeated. He got up to answer it, just as he was about to screw me. I was cockblocked by a fucking _cell phone_. Sitting up to watch him, I saw his face shift from complacent to alarmed.

"Ok," was all he said as he clicked his phone closed. "Fangtasia was broken into," said Eric, turning to face me.

"What do you mean? How?"

"Broken into-- vandalized, intruded…"

I stopped him, "I was asking for an explanation, not a thesaurus."

"I don't fucking know why, Dahlia," he snapped. "But I have to go check it out before sunrise."

"What can you honestly do in, what, an hour, including travel time?" I asked, looking at my alarm clock.

He sat on the bed. "I guess you're right. Anyway, Pam said that a lot of the alcohol bottles were smashed and only a little bit of money is gone. We just did a deposit." I scooted over to him, placed a hand on his back, and gently started to rub it. "Only stuff in the front was messed with, they didn't even bother with the back, so all they got was some cash in the front safe." I could tell he was both trying to stay positive about the situation and not fly off the handle.

"Stay with me tonight, we can deal with it tomorrow." I kissed his cheek and pulled him under the covers with me. I snuggled into him, pulling his arm over me, and closed my eyes, hoping that he would still be there when I woke up.

---

When I woke up, I was relieved to see that Eric was still in my bed. As I looked over at him, he started to stir, and I saw his blue eyes open to meet mine. I ran a hand through my hair and bared my neck to him-- I knew he was hungry. After he latched on and began to feed, his hand trailed down between my legs. We both spent a few moments lost in ecstasy before he remembered where he had to be tonight. Eric untangled himself from me and stood up, heading for the bathroom. I followed him in there after I heard the shower turn on. Sliding into the shower behind him, I wrapped my arms around his middle. "Take me with you," I offered.

"It might be dangerous. Whoever broke in has some serious balls."

"I don't care how dangerous it is. Besides, I have a feeling that this wasn't random."

"You think Cale did it?"

"Not him by himself, he's too much of a bitch to do anything himself, but I wouldn't doubt that he was there at some point if it was him."

"Ok, well let's get going then," he replied, shutting the shower off. We got dressed quickly and were out the door just as fast. In what felt like no time at all, we were pulling into Fangtasia's parking lot. Pam was standing at the back door. We went in through the door, which I noticed had no sign of forced entry.

"Master, we believe that they got in sometime while we were open, and just never left. Hence why the doors are still in tact," Pam stated. _Well that answered that one_, I thought.

"How can that be? Didn't you check the place after close?" Eric glared at Pam and one of the human waitresses.

"Of course we did. That's what's so confusing," she replied as we stepped into the main part of the club. Broken bottles was an understatement; it looked as if the entire bar area was tipped over on to the ground. There was glass all over the bar and the floor, both behind and in front of it. And, in the midst of all that broken glass sat a single red rose with a piece of paper attached.

I walked over to the bar, kicking myself a little path through the glass. I picked up the folded piece of paper:

'Dahlia-

Last chance to come to me willingly. Meet me at my nest in New Orleans. Tell Northman that I'm sorry I missed him during my visit-- the boys and I really enjoyed his little bar.

-C'

I threw the rose on the ground and smashed it with my shoe. "Shifters."

"What?" Both Eric and Pam looked at me strangely.

"Shifters. It's how they got in before close and why you weren't able to find them after close."

"How does she know that?" asked Pam.

I handed the note to Eric, "It's what he means by 'the boys'. He surrounds himself with a few Weres and Shifters to do most of his dirty work for him. And these shifters get off on shifting into small creatures, like bugs and shit." I shuddered at the thought. Pam and Eric nodded. Then, Pam motioned to the waitress to get a broom before heading to the back.

Eric stepped towards me. "If this guy needs other people to do his work and he's such a little bitch, why are you so afraid of him?"

"He needed people to do everything for him, except when he wanted to hit me. He could handle that all on his own." I looked down at the floor. I didn't look up until I felt Eric's arms around me.

"Why would anybody want to hit you?" he asked, leading me back into his office; we passed Pam on the way back. When we went into the office, he locked the door. He sat down on the couch and I sat on his lap.

"It started when I told him…" I stopped, desperately fearing a repeat of what happened with Cale if I told Eric.

"Dahlia, you can tell me."

I stood up, "No I can't. I can't tell you because you'll end up hurting me like he did!" I started crying, I couldn't help it.

Before the first tear rolled down my cheek, Eric was behind me with his arms wrapped around my shoulders. "I will _never _hurt you like he did, Dahlia. No matter what you tell me." He turned me around so that I was facing him.

"I told him that I could read his mind. I thought he would be proud of me…proud that we could be closer that way. I thought things would be better, not worse."

"And why did you think I'd be mad about th--" He let go and looked at me, "You can read mine too, can't you?" Eric was nothing if not smart. I nodded and started for the door.

"So your just going to leave, walk out on this relationship?" asked Eric.

"You still want a relationship?" I countered. "You're not going to start beating me, or try to get me to fuck your dumbass friends?" All Eric did was stare at me in complete disbelief at what I was saying. "Yeah, that's when I left. When he wanted to pass me around all his stupid 'boys'."

"Of course I still want a relationship. And like I said before, I wouldn't hurt you like he did."

"Sookie said that vamps would kill us if we could read their minds."

"She's right, most would. But I'm not going to kill you, Dahlia. You're too much fun and you're even more special than I thought. We can keep this between us." He closed the distance and kissed me lightly on the lips.

"Sookie and Amelia know, too."

"I figured as much. It's not like they're going to run off and tell anyone, right?"

"Right."

"Well then, I don't see a problem." He crossed to the door.

"You're something, you know that?" I stared at him.

"So are you," he replied, smirking.

He opened the door. "You don't have to stay here?" I asked.

"No. They can take care of it. Besides, being here doesn't get me any closer to killing that bastard, Cale." I kind of just stood there for a moment. "You coming with me? It'll take a lot less time since you know where we're supposed to go. Plus, I was sure you'd want to see him killed."

As morbidly violent as that sounded, Eric was right-- I did want to see Cale get what was coming to him. "Don't lie, hun, _you_ want me to see him killed. So it can stroke your precious ego."

"Fair enough, but I do want you to come with me. Honest."

"Ok. I was going to come anyway, even if you didn't want me to," I answered, smiling at him. We walked out to his car and he held the door open. He walked around and folded himself into the driver's seat.

"Where to, lover?"

* * *

**So how about that? Everyone loves a little plot development, right? The cockblocking, maybe not so much. But fear not, all will be alleviated next chapter. Thanks for sticking with me on this one.**

**-Sydney**


	17. Syntactics

**A/N: Okay, so I know it's been like freaking forever since I've updated this, but here it is, and I'm pretty proud of it. You're actually getting this chapter thanks to my sick-induced insomnia, so at least something good is coming out of my feeling like death warmed over. Now onto the chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen- Syntactics**

It's typically quite the trip from Shreveport to New Orleans, but Eric was the one doing the driving, so it wasn't that bad…if you don't mind riding in a car doing a hundred and fifty plus on the highway. It was a little past midnight when we rolled into New Orleans and I was becoming increasingly aware of two things: first, I was _starving_; and second, I really wanted to spend some alone time with Eric since we were interrupted last night and we were also planning to rush off into some sort of battle. Yeah, that too.

Eric had pulled us into a gas station and had just started filling his car while I was drawing these conclusions. I got out, walked around, and sidled myself up against him. This was, of course, a 24-hour station, but very few people were out and about. Besides, we weren't really in the city yet.

At first Eric didn't seem to notice that I had even gotten out of the car, which was kind of understandable…he had a lot on his mind. I spoke his name softy as I ran a hand down the front seam of his jeans. That got his attention.

"Is something wrong?" he questioned.

"Well, now that you ask," I responded, smiling. "I am kind of hungry and I thought maybe…we could spend some time together tonight." I moved my hand over him again, so as to not leave any doubt in the meaning of my statement.

"Food we can do, but do you think now is really the time for sex?" That shocked me. Since when did Eric think that any time was a bad time for sex? I was tempted to say as much, but I decided on a different approach.

"Now is exactly the time for it, Eric. They're expecting us today. We should take tonight to regroup." He seemed to be all-business, so I was going to match that. "If you don't want to have sex though, we could watch a movie, take a swim, or something." Even though I was using the strategist's approach, there was no reason I couldn't tease him just a little bit. With a small smile, I walked back around the car as Eric was hanging the gas pump back up.

We were pulling into a hotel about fifteen minutes later. Eric handed me a credit card, kissed me on the cheek, and walked off, cell phone in hand. _Must be some vamp politics or something_, I thought. I was starting to wonder if he'd have to alert someone of our vigilante mission to off my ex.

I walked up to the front desk, attempting not to look like a girl who was trying to have a hotel tryst, when in fact, I pretty much was. But Eric was my boyfriend (I guess you could call him that. He did say he wanted a relationship…) and I honestly believed my theory about Cale expecting us, even if I was using it to my advantage.

"I'd like a vamp-friendly suite, please," I told the man behind the counter. I kept my shields up; after the lovely thoughts at the nightclub, I wasn't in the mood to listen to anyone else's subconscious shit. Besides, the unmistakable leer the desk clerk was giving me told me plenty. I was sure he was about to say something vulgar, but he promptly closed his mouth at the same time I felt Eric slide his hands onto my hips.

"Room 221. Uh, here's your key," the desk man mumbled as he slid us the little envelope. I pulled one of Eric's arms more firmly around me as I handed the clerk the credit card. Eric pushed himself against my backside in the process, and I'm sure my eyes got kind of wide. Thank god the clerk was too busy running the card to notice.

I pushed back against him in an effort to get him to stop. I probably should have thought that through better, because all I succeeded in was causing Eric to growl quietly (like a rumble) and grind himself against me…which the clerk did see, as he was handing me back the credit card. He shot Eric a knowing smirk and left the counter. I was glad that I was facing the counter, because I really didn't want to see the expression on Eric's face.

I handed him his credit card and pushed him on the shoulder before heading towards the elevators. Naturally, Eric caught up with me quickly, placing his hands on my shoulders and turning me away from the elevators. "Where are we going?" I questioned.

"Restaurant. I thought you said you were hungry," replied Eric, and I saw the sign for the hotel's seafood establishment come into view. I grabbed his hands, spinning my self around to face him, a move that was reminiscent of a dance spin. I pulled his body to mine, outwardly it looked like I was giving him a hug, and put my lips to his ear. I was suddenly thankful for my ungodly high heels; I didn't have too far to stretch.

"I was. But now I'm just hungry for _you_." I let the last word trail off into a breathy whisper. Eric looked down at me as I stepped back, shaking his head.

"That may be the case, but I would like to treat you to a sit down dinner."

"We could _sit down_ in the room with some room service too, you know."

"I do know that, but I know how much you like seafood. Plus we're already here." Sure enough, he had maneuvered us into the restaurant and up to the maitre d'. I really needed to pay more attention to what was going on while I was around Eric.

"You're cruel," I told him as were led to our table. I gave him my best pout, but I could feel my conviction waning as the smell of grilled shrimp hit my nose. _Damn him and his knowledge of my love for seafood_.

"But you love it," he teased, swatting me on the butt as I slid into the booth. I crossed my arms as he slid in across from me. I looked around the restaurant; there were a couple of vamps sitting at the bar, enjoying what looked like some blended synthetic blood, and a vampire and two human women at a table across the room from ours. I sat back in my seat, arms still folded. If we were in a regular hotel, then there would be no chance of the restaurant being open this late. But then again, if we were in a regular hotel there'd be no 'we' about it, I'd be by myself.

I looked at the gorgeous man across the table and decided that I'd take this set-up any day, even if we weren't already upstairs going at it like bunnies. Of course, the restaurant had a limited menu this time of night, because they mostly only served alcohol and blood. They served mostly appetizers, and I ordered some grilled shrimp with a small salad. Eric ordered some of that blended synthetic I mentioned earlier.

When the waitress went away, Eric spoke. "That desk clerk didn't say anything inappropriate to you, did he?"

I couldn't help but smile. "You're really out for blood tonight, aren't you?"

He smiled back. "Something like that," he replied, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Well?"

"No, he didn't. I blocked him out too. I'm tired of hearing peoples crap about my being with a vampire." I placed my elbow on the table and cradled my face with my palm.

"I'm pretty sure it had little to do with me. I think he just thought that you are a…what's the expression…a knockout." He grinned, showing a little fang.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You need to stop that, or I might just have to jump you right here," I commented.

"Don't tease me, lover." The waitress chose that moment to bring our orders. She shot me a knowing smile, placing my food in front of me. She gave Eric his blood and left.

"Like I've said before, you're such an exhibitionist."

"This place does have a bar, you know."

"Oh shut it. It was your idea to eat here instead of up in our room…all alone." I sighed dramatically, twirling my fork around for a few before spearing some lettuce. When I moved onto my shrimp, I couldn't help the moans that escaped my lips. I wasn't even trying to tease Eric this time, the shrimp was just that damn good.

"Lover, you're putting on a show," came Eric, nudging me out of my delicious food coma. I looked up and around the restaurant and sure enough, all vampire eyes were trained on me, even the one with the two girls, and not all of the vamps were male either.

"So about that bar," I countered. I can't say that it wasn't uncomfortable being lusted after in a restaurant of all places. The irony was not lost on me. And I didn't need to be telepathic to know what they were thinking, that distinctive fang plopping sound covered that one.

Eric growled at me, and not in a good way. "Baby, I was kidding. You came into this knowing full and well my love of seafood." I offered him a smile and I could tell that he was becoming less defensive with me and more with our audience. Or rather my audience. "What do you say we get out of here, hun?" I gestured to my empty plates.

"I'd say you're on to something, lover." He put some bills down on the table (more than was enough, I was sure) and we hightailed it out of there. Once we were back in the lobby, I tugged on Eric's hand, pulling him to a halt.

"So I guess this is the part where you come up with another obscene idea to keep us from getting up stairs?"

"Obscene, yes. But this is that part where I maul my 'knockout' of a girlfriend in the elevator." And yes, he did use air quotes to emphasize the word 'knockout'.

"Oh, but Eric. I was starting to consider that swim I mentioned earlier." I smiled at him as he started to back me up towards the elevators.

"Don't they say something about not swimming after eating?" he asked while pressing the up button.

"I haven't the slightest idea of what you mean."

"Sure you don't. Besides, you don't have a bathing suit."

"My bra and panties will work just fine, I think," I replied, moving in the direction of the doors marked 'Pool'.

Eric grabbed my wrist, just like I expected him to. He moved us both into the open…and empty…elevator. "Now that is a sight I'm not willing to share. If you want to run around in your lingerie, I'd be more than happy to watch you do it in our room. There's even a tub, since you seem to be so hell-bent on getting wet." He ended his monologue with a lick of his lips.

The doors on the elevator had just closed, so I pulled Eric close to me. "Forget the tub, I'm already wet," I whispered with my own lip lick.

Eric slammed me up against the opposite wall from the one we were standing near. If the wall wasn't decoratively padded and upholstered, I'm sure I would have broken something. Starting at my hip, he roughly dragged his hand down my leg, hitching it up over his hip when he got to my knee.

"You really shouldn't talk like that, you might just get hurt," he growled in my ear.

"Bring it on," I challenged. Eric ground his bulge against me before…well, right before the fucking elevator dinged and opened its doors. Stupid second floor room. Stupid fast elevator.

We probably would've just continued going at it, except there was a whole gaggle of business attired vamps waiting to board. Eric met their fang plops with a snarl and then, thankfully, the elevator doors closed.

"The universe just seems to be against us, huh?" I commented, still wrapped around Eric after I had lifted my other leg up onto him sometime during that whole exchange. Eric didn't respond. Instead, he quickly set me down and set off down the hall, in search of wherever room 221 lived, I guess. I followed as fast as my heels would carry me. I was seriously doubting my practicality when I chose to wear them. Especially with this impending battle or whatever. Maybe I'd need to see what the gift shop had to offer.

I caught up with Eric- well, Eric was waiting for me- outside of room 221. He looked, impatient? I crossed the remaining distance and stretched a little to give him a kiss. He accepted it, but when I made a motion to deepen the kiss, he recoiled.

"Eric?" I questioned; he pulled the key out of his pocket. "First the universe, now you too?" He slid the key into the little electronic lock. Naturally I followed him inside. Where the hell else did I have to go?

When I shut the door, the living room area of the suite was empty. There was, however, light seeping out from under one of the interior doors, so I figured that was my best bet. Pushing the door open, I found that the light was coming from a dimmed overhead light and the room was the bathroom. A big bathroom. A bathroom complete with an in-tub Eric.

"So you're just not going to talk to me now?" I asked, crouching down by the tub. "Is that part of your pre-battle regime? Get your girlfriend worked up, ignore her, pre-battle soak? Just stop me if we've left something out." Yeah, being a bitch probably wasn't the best idea, with me in grabbing range and all. Hindsight and all that. It wouldn't have mattered where I was standing, he could've gotten me if he wanted to.

"You're distracting me," came the man in the bathtub. Uh huh.

"Sorry." I plopped down with my back against the marble. "It's not like I intentionally was parading around or anything." Wait, was I? Maybe a little bit, but I did fully believe waiting a night could be beneficial. Plus I thought he was enjoying it.

"The plan was to come here, kill that bastard, and then do the hotel thing. Maybe. I just…I just feel like we're wasting time."

I got back up on my knees and turned to face the tub. "What caused this sudden change? I thought you were up for whatever we were about to do back there." I waved my arm in the general direction of the bedroom.

"All the vamps here." I gave him a look as if to say '_really?_' "The way they've been looking at you, at us. Just reminds me that there is a huge threat to you here."

Well that was touching. I smiled at my vampire as he stretched one of his arms from behind his head and brought his hand up to cup my cheek.

He dipped the other one in the water and splashed me with it.

"Who's distracting whom now?"

"Still you." He gestured down to my t-shirt. It was white. Fuck.

"You're fault. Entirely." I splashed him back. Futility. He used his vamp speed to soak me. I grabbed at a towel and held it over myself. More futility; that was quickly soaked too.

I threw the towel off and launched myself into the tub, clothes and all. More splashing. And giggling, but that was mostly on my end. Eric doesn't giggle. He does laugh, however, and he was doing a lot of that.

Eric grabbed me by my waist and started to tickle; I started to add in shrieks with my giggles. He made a tickle trail up my sides to my underarms before moving back down to my hips, where he pulled me closer to him (if that was even possible). Even through my soggy jeans, I could feel his arousal.

Suddenly the air was thicker in the bathroom. I gave one last half-hearted giggle before Eric slanted his mouth over mine. His tongue caressed my bottom lip before wriggling its way into my mouth. I moaned, and Eric bucked his hips up into me, sloshing more water out of the tub. Leaning forward, I rested my head on his broad shoulder.

"We're making a mess, baby. And I'm soggy." I made a move to climb out of the tub and surprisingly enough, Eric let me. I remained in the bathroom and started to peel off my wet jeans; the denim was like stucco on my skin.

"I love it when you strip for me," Eric commented from the tub, eyes dancing.

I laughed. "I've never stripped for you, Eric."

"Oh yes you have. All the time. In my head." He smiled a toothy grin at me, elongated canines included.

"I'm sure. It's like Skinamax in there," I replied, pulling off my top and throwing it at him. Eric looked like he had been caught off guard, and I was pretty sure it wasn't from the v-neck to the face he'd just received. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-" I tried, backing towards the door. It's remarkably hard to do with dignity when you're in your underwear.

Eric had gotten out of the tub and was blocking the doorway by the time I had taken two steps. I turned to face him and he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me into his drippy body. "Don't apologize," he said tersely. He cleared his throat unnecessarily and softened a little. "I'm sorry, Dahlia. It's just…I'm not used to having anyone privy to what's up there." He kissed my forehead.

I pulled back from him a little bit. "I understand. It's not like you're the first person to get freaked out by it." Eric frowned at me. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bedroom. Once he had gotten us both seated on the bed, he spoke again.

"No. You're pitying yourself. Don't do it. You have a remarkable gift, Dahlia. Come here, please." That was when I realized we weren't even sitting remotely close to each other. The bed was huge, and Eric was sitting up against the headboard, giving me the distance he thought I needed.

I nodded and crawled over to him slowly, coming to sit cross-legged in between his stretched out legs.

"Closer." Eric took hold of my hands, pulling me up on my knees. He slid his hands down to my hips and lifted me effortlessly onto his lap. I was aware that he was naked and wet, and still hard, but I settled into him anyway. "Much better," he commented. "Now I want to see if I can send something to you."

I regarded him skeptically as he pulled my hands up to his face. He placed them on his cheeks, but I moved one to cup his strong jaw; the other went up to his forehead, burying itself into his hair. I ran my thumb over his lips and he purred. "Ok, shoot."

Eric's eyes popped open and I smiled at him. He closed them again, and I could tell that he was concentrating. I closed my own eyes and focused.

"Oh my God," I whispered. Eric's eyes met mine and I stared at him. "Is that even physically possible?" In his mind was a little movie reel- mental me was upside down, balancing on my hands, while mental Eric was standing up and plowing into me from behind.

"Oh yes," he preened. "It's called the wheelbarrow, and it's entirely possible. Might I show you how possible it is?"

And just like that, my Eric was back.

* * *

**So, I think we have one more chapter and then it's the end of the road for Drawn. I actually have an idea for a sequel, and I'd really like to hear if anyone would be interested in that.**

**Special thanks to the ladies of the After Hours Tweet Stream (as I'm now calling it) for some hilarious sex position discussion. For those who haven't heard, I'm on Twitter. Come find me…chiisai_kitty.**

**-Sydney**


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